Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Spoilers are welcome on this thread for a group-read discussion of The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.
What did you think of the book? Please mention how far along in the book you are when you comment.

Spoilers to the end..
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I liked this but didn't love it. Nothing to do with the skill of the writer, Liz Moore. I realize I'm growing tired of thrillers about missing children and the search for them or search for their bodies/killers.

It was a good story but listening to it one had to really pay attention to the chapter headings as it flipped from "present day" 1975-ish to "the past" of the '60s I think. It took me a while to remember who was who in each decade and to get the lay of the land--the overnight camp and the house of the owners, and who inhabited each. Not to mention the handful of townspeople who played a part.

I didn't guess the resolution of either disappearance, the disappearance of Bear or of Barbara. I like that we learned what happened to each, and there was a nice contrast between the very sad accidental death of Bear and the deliberate disappearance of Barbara. I wondered what she was going to do in that remote house for the rest of her life but that's for a sequel I guess. I can't imagine the pain of losing two children in that fashion. I wonder if the parents will ever learn of Barbara's fate--it seems too cruel that they would not.

I liked the character of the female police detective (Judy?) and the dynamics of her role in an all male police force.

Carol, I agree that audio is not my favorite medium when it comes to dual time-lines. But I did love the book. I was wrapped up in it immediately and NONE of the resolutions that I came up with in my head even came close, (view spoiler)[although I did assume that Bear was dead but not how. His passing was very cleverly written I thought. It certainly made it more palatable that it wasn't a purposeful act.

I liked your comment about when the parents might learn of Barbara's fate. I felt it was only somewhat cruel to the mother, who honestly was so out of touch with reality that I don't believe knowing would make life easier for either of them. The father? He didn't care. I don't believe he ever cared. And I could see him trying to make Barbara pay dearly for it simply because it made him look bad. And the grandparents? Hmm. The family was so dysfunctional they didn't deserve to have either of those children.
The father's affair with his wife's sister infuriated me. She was as complicit in the undoing of the wife's mind as her husband and father-in-law were. (hide spoiler)]

Ha! A little passionate about the read, you see? That's one reason why I had to give it a 5.

Ha-ha! Agree with your spoilers!

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Ha-ha! Agree with your spoilers!"

AND I got so carried away, I forgot to say that I also agree with you about the character of Judy, the female detective. She could make a good recurring character if Moore decided to go that way.

Finished late last night! I enjoyed this, it was a solid read. Alot of the twists hit me out of the left field. (view spoiler)[The sister especially. That was... wow. That whole set up was just weird. I didn't understand the motivations, it was just horrible.... (hide spoiler)] Judy was the best character- I liked how she was learning her own and strengths and weaknesses as she went along in a plausible and not chosen one kind of way.

Edit: Had to edit to put in spoiler. On the phone there is not choice to see the spoiler so at first I was like, we are just laying it all out there... then I looked on the computer and went NO WE ARE NOT... lol so I edited. Apologies.

It was nice to see we were all on the same page. This wasn't the best mystery I have every read - but that was solid writing and it had me hooked. I would definitely recommend it.

Also, what bugged me is ... (view spoiler)[ I like the idea of Barbara staying hidden for her sake, but thinking about that, the ramifications of that- eh I don't know. Though at least - and I guess that's the point- if she choses to make herself known it will be during a time when she will have some agency. But her family, father/grandfather especially, seem like empty human beings and would see her as a threat. (hide spoiler)]

Oh and I have been doing immersive reading - audiobook while reading my kindle. It helps when my husband is watching a Knicks game in the background. lol It's been good! But my goodness Carol I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have the book visually telling me whose point of view it was - I confused Alice and Louise more than once. Lol

ChrisQ wrote: "Oh and I have been doing immersive reading - audiobook while reading my kindle. It helps when my husband is watching a Knicks game in the background. lol It's been good! But my goodness Carol I don..."

Chris, I love having a print version of what I'm listening to on hand for the very reason you describe. I usually request both from the library but it's rare when they come in at the same time.
I didn't in this case so as I said I had to really pay attention because she flipped time periods so frequently and like you it took me a looooonnnnnng time to differentiate the characters, the campgoers/counselors vs the adults in the big house.

And to your spoiler approach Chris, we usually don't do hidden spoilers, although now that I see them here I'm reminded of how convenient they are. Usually we say at the beginning of the post what we're posting spoiles to --end of book, halfway through, whatever -- and then leave plenty of space so if the reader doesn't want spoilers they can move on.

I gave it four stars, earned in the final third of the book after Judy came into the story and the revelations began.
Spoilers to the end follow my general comments which changed somewhat when I got to the final third when I couldn't put it down.
Overall, I found it quite atmospheric, the Adirondack setting is a character unto itself. The timelines, and the summer camp particularly evoked memories and reminders of things that have changed, and so many that haven't. The investigation segments are solid.
Carol: I must agree with you --The multiple points of view in the beginning coupled with unlikable characters made connecting enough to care what happened difficult at first; and yet in the end I was tempted to revisit some parts afterwards to rethink the clues.
My audible audio had date and character descriptive headers so i was constantly checking those to acclimate. I also really liked the character of Judy the investigator.
The clever and slow reveal of the clues from the different points of view proved why we needed them in the first place.
This group read is why I read it and I am glad I did.
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I agree with you both Christina and Gail.
Alice's sister's and husband's betrayal was horrible. Alice drugged and driven insane after her thoughtless drunken accident, covered up to protect the family business reputation, was unconscionable.
TJ and Barbara cooking up an escape plan until Barbara turns eighteen has good intentions but seems as cruel as the cover-up of Bear's accidental drowning in the light of Louise being framed by John Paul's family.
The decade(s) apart different but similar treatment of Alice, Louise, Judy and even Barbara and T.J. was a reminder of what women have had to struggle against.
T.J. in particular, it was disturbing to think of how she was forced into the conspiracy of Bear's fate at such a young age.

I enjoyed this more than a lot of similar books. The multiple points of view and the family saga with the rich and their staff made it almost like something out of old English fiction.

I read it, luckily, and I'm glad I did. I think the audio would have confused me. The print version is so well split up with each chapter introduced clearly, that it was easy to flick back if I did happen to lose my place (usually if bookmarking in the middle of a chapter).

Spoilers ahead
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I felt sorry for the 18-year-old pregnant bride, who was treated more like a pretty, empty-headed breeder (had to have a son), than an adult.

Being gaslighted by her father and father-in-law was unforgiveable. They could at least have made an excuse for how he happened to drown that would explain their finding his body. She could have been convinced her boatshed memory was from a different time, and then she'd have had a burial.

As for Barbara, I have to admit she seemed a few years older than thirteen, but I am prepared to accept that T.J.'s help and sympathy made all the difference to her successful escape.

Juditya, "The Nation's First" just has to come back, please Ms Moore! I did love her quiet persistence in spite of self-doubt and worry about being thought a fool and ruining her career.

I did write a review.
/review/show...

Patty: I agree with exactly what you said regarding the old English fiction feel of the setting, time and place, ....and after your spoilers break
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about the gas-lighting of Alice by her family (husband, Father-in-law and by her sister) and how cruel to allow others to be ruined, punished and harmed greatly in the aftermath of the cover-up. Horrible and unconscionable.

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "The multiple points of view and the family saga with the rich and their staff made it almost like something out of old English fiction.


Being gaslighted by her father and father-in-law was unforgiveable. They could at least have made an excuse for how he happened to drown that would explain their finding his body. She could have been convinced her boatshed memory was from a different time, and then she'd have had a burial."

I had F2F book club late last week and I gushed so much about the book, they picked it for April. Now I will have forgotten much of the details by then, but it made me feel good.

Gail: It will be interesting to hear what your f2f group thinks of the book. I am curious if others listening to the audio had trouble with the points of view in the beginning. Like Patty said, print probably defined the switches clearer than the narration. Eventually I picked up on the switches, but it took a while.

Gail W wrote: "I had F2F book club late last week and I gushed so much about the book, they picked it for April. Now I will have forgotten much of the details by then, but it made me feel good."

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I enjoyed this more than a lot of similar books. The multiple points of view and the family saga with the rich and their staff made it almost like something out of old English fiction.

I read it,..."

Yes! Definitely want to see more of Juditya!

I also had a hard time with timelines listening to the audiobook. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had a physical book. Over all it was a good story I couldn’t believe what really happened to Bear. And as for Barbara wow,

I liked the book, and couldn’t put it down during the last half of the story. But all of the changing POV’s, well, I think some of them were superfluous, and I don’t think the alternating timeline was done well. I had the hardcover. I can’t imagine trying to fully understand the timeline in the audiobook!

aPriL does feral sometimes wrote: " I can’t imagine trying to fully understand the timeline in the audiobook! ..."

You got that right, April! It was challenging. Glad you liked it.