PLOT & PACING
On the surface, this is a missing-person mystery set at a Camp Emerson (Henry David Thoreau would approve) an elite summer camp set in the Adirondak mountains. But it’s so much more. The story unfolds across timelines and perspectives, slowly revealing the cracks in the Van Laar family’s carefully maintained image. As truths are uncovered, so are the ugly systems of power that sustain them. It’s a slow burn—but one that rewards patience with a blazing, unforgettable conclusion.

CHARACTER & VOICE
Every woman in this novel fights. Barbara, Judy, TJ, Louise—each one brings her own strength, and every arc feels richly earned. Even minor characters resonate. Moore imbues them all with quiet rage, hope, and complexity. Barbara, in particular, steals the show—a girl who dares to resist, even when resistance means being erased.

STYLE & ATMOSPHERE
Lush, precise, and emotionally grounded, the prose never calls too much attention to itself, but it lands. The setting—dense woods, fading wealth, the isolated chill of Camp Emerson—drips with tension. Moore knows how to let setting speak. You feel the weight of legacy in every room, every tree-lined path.

THEMES & DEPTH
This is about systems—class, wealth, gender—and the people caught in them. Moore critiques how privilege survives by feeding off the labor and bodies of others, particularly women. The novel champions those who fight to reclaim their stories. 

PERSONAL TAKE
This was my Lolly (Book of the Year) pick for Book of the Month Club—and for good reason. I’ll be thinking about Barbara Van Laar for a long time. About the ways her silence screamed, the ways Judy kept digging, and how TJ made peace on her own terms. The God of the Woods isn’t just beautifully written—it’s important. I’ll be recommending it to everyone.