READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. The God of the Woods combines a layered suspense plot and missing-person investigation with a multi-generational family drama. Which element drew you in and hooked you emotionally: the mystery investigation or the story of family secrets? Were you surprised by the way the different plot elements blended to crescendo together? 

2. For much of the book, Liz Moore chases two different mysteries in two different timelines: what happened to Bear Van Laar in 19XX, and what happened to Barbara in 19XX. How are they ultimately connected?

3. Liz Moore explores the beauty and culture of the Adirondack Mountains through several distinct settings: the opulent Van Laar mansion, the surrounding preserve and larger wilderness, the rustic summer camp, and the nearby town of Shattuck. What do each of these settings represent? Through which characters do they intersect? Where are the tensions between these worlds most apparent? 

4. The cultural idea of sleep-away summer camp features prominently in the story. Camp Emerson is the place where several characters work and socialize, and where teens learn skills and self-knowledge. It’s also the place from which Barbara disappears. How does the camp function as a kind of in-between place in the story – neither estate nor town, neither luxury nor wilderness, neither upper-class society nor working class – and why is that important?

5. The wealthy Van Laars rely on residents of a working-class community from the nearby town of Shattuck to service their estate. How do the demographic backgrounds of the different characters influence their lives and outcomes? Consider Alice and Peter Van Laar, T.J. and her father Vic Hewitt, Louise Donnadieu and John Paul McLellan. How do these characters reflect the complexities of social class, status, and wealth?

6. The God of the Woods unfolds across multiple decades, and different timelines are woven together to create a nuanced portrait of several generations of different families, rich and poor. How did the braided timelines add to your reading experience? Why do you think Liz Moore chose to tell the story in this way?

7. The Van Laar’s estate is named Self-Reliance, which is a quality the family’s original patriarch was said to value and want to instill in his descendants. Did he succeed? How do you think this idea of self-reliance be defined differently by the different generations and characters in the book? How does the novel’s ending reflect back on this idea? Who, in your mind, is the most self-reliant character in the novel?

8. As a member of a disadvantaged family, camp counselor Louise faces much worse repercussions for Barbara’s disappearance than does her counselor-in-training, Annabel, the daughter of wealthy, well-connected parents. But money isn’t the only determination of power in the story: Alice Van Laar has a lot of money, but little status or control over her surroundings. And TJ has little money but manages many acres and people. Discuss the relationship between power, money, and personality in the book. Which characters are rich in some ways but not others? Which characters ultimately have the most influence and control?

9. Caretaking is a resonant theme in the book, across the different characters’ backgrounds. Alice and Peter have different ideas about how to care for their son Bear and their daughter Barbara. Vic Hewitt is a groundskeeper who takes care of the Van Laar preserve; later, T.J. is a caretaker for her father. Louise wants to care for her younger brother Jesse before it’s too late. Compare and contrast these models of caretaking. What are the social forces that shape these models?   

10. The God of the Woods explores many different ideas about womanhood and femininity. Think about Judyta, the competent young police officer who must overcome the expectations of her gender, or the differences between Alice and her sister Delphine. T.J.’s unusual gender presentation is referred to often by others, and Barbara purposefully thwarts her mother’s ideals. How do each of these characters adhere to gender expectations and/or subvert them? Do you see yourself in any of these characters?

11. Alice’s grief over her son Bear is palpable, and changes in intensity in unexpected ways. What other portraits of grief and loss exist in the story? Consider Carl Stoddard and his wife Maryanne, or Tracey’s sadness about her parent’s divorce, or the strategies that T.J. and Vic Hewitt use to process the loss of Bear. What is the novel saying about grief and legacy?

12. The specter of the serial killer Jacob Sluiter and his escape from prison looms over Camp Emerson. Similarly, Scary Mary, a ghostly presence in the woods, is often discussed by the campers and staff. What do each of these presences symbolize? How did your perspectives of them shift when they became embodied? 

13. Discuss the title The God of the Woods. How do you interpret it? What meanings did the title take on over the course of the story? Who (or what) is the god of the woods?

14. Whether it’s Peter hiding things from his wife, or Barbara withholding information from her parents, the secrets that family members keep can affect the course of their lives. Are any of these secrets justified? What would truth-telling look like for each of them? How might their fates look different if the truth came to light?

15. In what ways is justice served at the end of the novel? How does justice have different meanings for Carl Stoddard’s wife and daughter, or for Louise Donnadieu?

16. Did The God of the Woods make you think differently about the obligations of parents to children? What about the obligations of employees to workers, or individuals to their community? What do you think the future holds for the various women at the end of the book?