Every once in a while, a book comes along that makes you say, “Wow, this is clearly very good… and also, I’m kind of bored.” For me, that book was The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.
Let’s start with the good: the writing is gorgeous. If you like your prose with a healthy dose of literary elegance and your pacing slower than a canoe ride across a foggy lake at dawn, you’re in for a treat. The atmosphere is rich—dripping with privilege, secrets, and the kind of tension that hums quietly beneath the surface. The setting (an exclusive summer camp in the Adirondacks) feels vivid and cinematic, and the mystery at the heart of the story—a missing girl named Barbara Van Laar—pulls from that great Gothic tradition of things not being what they seem. It feels like something big is coming.
But does it come? Ehhh. Not really.
For a book that starts with a disappearance, this is not what I’d call a thriller. In fact, calling it a mystery is also a little misleading. Sure, there’s a central question (“Where is Barbara?”), but the book is more interested in character psychology and generational trauma than it is in solving crimes. I’m all for a thoughtful, character-driven narrative, but I spent large portions of this book feeling like I was wandering in the woods myself—unsure where I was going and vaguely annoyed by how long it was taking to get there.
The structure doesn’t help. We bounce around in time and perspective, which can work beautifully when it builds tension or deepens our understanding of characters—but here, it sometimes felt like a stalling tactic. Just when I thought we were getting somewhere, the narrative would pivot to someone else’s childhood, or a quiet reflection, or a long chapter that was technically well done but not especially gripping.
And here’s the thing: I can handle a slow book. I’ve enjoyed slow books! But I need to feel like the slowness is doing something. In The God of the Woods, it often felt like the story was winding up for a big emotional punch that… never quite landed. There are reveals, sure. There are deeply buried family secrets and emotional reckonings. But none of them hit me hard enough to justify the build-up. It’s like being promised a roaring campfire and getting a flickering tea light.
That said, I’m giving this 3 stars because I can’t pretend it’s a bad book—it’s just not the book I wanted it to be. It’s thoughtful. It’s well written. And it’ll likely resonate with readers who want something moody and literary and don’t mind meandering their way to a conclusion. But if you’re picking it up for the mystery? You might find yourself checking how many pages are left more often than you’d like.
So, final verdict: If you like books that are more about atmosphere than action, this might be your thing. But if you, like me, enjoy a little more payoff for your patience, you might find this one a beautiful but somewhat unrewarding hike through the woods.
OUR RATING:
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