Intricate ... Transports readers so deeply into its richly peopled, ominous world that, for hours, everything else falls away ... Nuanced ... Chillingly astute about the invisible boundaries demarcating social class.
I wish Moore had painted the reprehensible Van Laars with more nuance; villains are better when we can see ourselves in them, after all. A few red herrings fall away without resolution, and there are some less-than-convincing details ... These are small complaints. Moore’s portrayal of Alice’s maternal devastation is acutely, painfully real. And her fictional summer camp felt as vivid to me as my own.
Extraordinary ... I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air ... Moore’s previous book...was a superb social novel about the opioid crisis in Philadelphia; The God of the Woods is something weirder and stranger and unforgettable.
Intricate and intriguing...cunning ... Hugely satisfying ... Surviving these woods, it seems, will entail unearthing deeply buried family secrets. Moore cleverly guides us through that tangle of trails, to a thrilling and unexpected conclusion.
Not a simple one. It has multiple timelines revealed in non-chronological order, a large cast of characters with interlocking backstories, detailed geography to imagine and keep in mind and, of course, a few subplots that turn out to be red herrings while others click satisfyingly into place ... When a demanding book like this gets it all right, it is an unusually gratifying reading experience. God of the Woods is just that. Three days after you turn the last page, your head is still half in it.
The novel’s artfully described setting and the intricately interwoven plots and perspectives of its many players—some innocent and others monstrous—result in expert storytelling that is equally fascinating and devastating ... Moore’s novel is wild yet delicate, with complex characters and an immersive reading experience that will draw audiences.
An exploration of the differences between the haves and the have-nots and the stifling roles for women of all ages mixed with a police procedural and a family drama. Moore manages it all smoothly, resulting in a compulsively readable novel that will appeal to fans of mysteries and historical fiction alike.
As rich in background detail and secondary mysteries as it is, this ever-expansive, intricate, emotionally engaging novel never seems overplotted. Every piece falls skillfully into place and every character, major and minor, leaves an imprint. "Don't go into the woods" takes on unsettling new meaning in Moore's blend of domestic drama and crime novel.
