Utterly compelling

 

 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ The God of the Woods came to me at the height of summer and felt preordained to be the right book read at the right time. I was engrossed by it, invested in the parallel storylines of missing Van Laar children in and around Camp Emerson, Bear in 1961 and Barbara in 1975.

I struggle to pinpoint exactly what it was that struck a chord with me. Character development is key, certainly. Particularly regarding Alice, and Judy, too. Intelligent capable women, both, one wealthy yet a prisoner of circumstance, the other working class but a smart, diligent worker who gave her all to break from expectation and societal limitations. The haves and the have nots bring into sharp relief a class imbalance within this text that weaves flawlessly within the mystery of these two disappearances. Those with money and influence can do no wrong whilst those hardly getting by seem to pay a steep price for their lowly status. This does feel strongly of that era, especially the casual sexism, though I suspect that imbalance is just as strong now as it ever was.

This is a bittersweet tale that gripped my imagination in a subtle way. Every tid bit of information in the search for the truth, as well as the children, themselves, was gently and thoughtfully delivered. There is an atmospheric power that ratchets the tension ever so slightly as the drama unfolds. Brilliant stuff well worth reading, I promise you.