Happy autumn, friends! We’re back again with another reading filled month. And I’ve officially surpassed my 2024 Goodreads reading goal of 36 books. I’m up to 42 books read so far this year (even more than all of 2023)! As per usual, one of my recent reads is the one we’re focusing on for September’s book of the month—The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. And to accompany my review, I made a Godmother cocktail.
Godmother Recipe
1.5oz Vodka
0.5oz Amaretto
~3oz Coke*
1 twist Orange
*This is an optional ingredient.
In a rocks/highball glass with ice, add all ingredients and stir. Garnish and enjoy!
Two things to note before I discuss the cocktail… One, there is another version called a Godfather that is largely the same but substitutes the vodka for scotch or bourbon. I chose the Godmother because I prefer vodka. And two, the recipe originally calls for a king cube instead of regular ice. But I don’t have king cubes and didn’t feel like getting a new ice tray, so oh well!
Moving on, this cocktail was delicious! I had a really hard time deciding on a special ingredient this month. I originally wanted balsam fir syrup, but that is not easy to find. So, I ended up going with coke because of the numerous mentions of the pop and also the drug in the novel. Plus, I knew coke would work well in the drink. And it sure did! The amaretto and coke combination is pretty much exactly a vanilla coke. It’s also not too sweet or boozy, which are both pros in my book. So, if you are a fan of vanilla coke or just want an idea for a quick and easy cocktail, then I definitely recommend this one.
The God of the Woods Synopsis
(from book cover)
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.
Review
“We can do as we please, if we only learn not to care so much about what people think.”
As soon as I saw The God of the Woods on Instagram, I knew I’d be doing this book. The cover just drew me in instantly. And once I read the synopsis, I felt like it would be the perfect book for the end of summer/start of autumn. Plus, I haven’t reviewed a mystery all year, which seems crazy for me! And choosing this one was the right choice because it made our first mystery review of the year a great one. This novel absolutely lived up to the hype it has received so far.
First off, the atmosphere and ambiance of The God of the Woods was mesmerizing. Moore’s tone set the scene so well and gave off the perfect 70s woodsy camp aesthetic. And I felt transported into the verdant and ominously serene world. It almost has a similar vibe to a Wes Anderson movie, but more eerie and suspenseful. Maybe more like The White Lotus tv series actually in that you know something bad is going to happen but you go along for the somewhat chilling, uncanny ride to find out all the secrets on the way.
But aside from relating the novel to other media, the writing was entrancing. As we hop around the non-sequential timeline, we see glimpses of various different women’s (and some men’s) lives. And Moore does a fantastic job of bringing just the right amount of insight into these characters before leaving their section on a cliff-hanger. I’ve seen some complaints about the way she did this, but I personally found it made the book hard to put down from needing to know what happens next.
Moving on from how atmospheric and beautiful the writing was, it’s time to talk about characters. As mentioned, we jump around between a lot of characters in this novel. I didn’t find the abundance of characters confusing, but I did have characters that I preferred. Louise, for instance, was a bit annoying to me. I felt that she could’ve communicated things very differently and saved herself a lot of trouble. Whereas Alice was a more emotional read despite also being frustrating due to her lack of action.
Overall, I really enjoyed how the novel showcases so many different types of women. None of them were very similar to each other and they each had their own issues to overcome. And while some resonated more with me than others, they all leant something to the plot and deeper themes of the novel. One such theme was women and power, whether that be women with power, women without power, or women trying to find their own power, and the way that this power balance/struggle isn’t always what it seems. And I loved the interplay of these ideas throughout the novel.
My issues with The God of the Woods are all pretty minor, so I’m just going to list them off rather than deep dive. One, the language could be a bit flowery in my opinion, but I am notorious for doing this myself, sooo… Two, there were some editorial inconsistencies between the first section and the rest of the novel that bothered me. Three, some things could be frustrating. I found myself thinking at times, “why aren’t they doing xyz”, but I also told myself that it’s likely because of the time period that some police work was shoddy. Four, it wasn’t exactly predictable, but it also wasn’t that difficult to figure out. And lastly, it probably could’ve been a good 100 pages shorter, but I honestly didn’t mind the fluff because it just added to the haunting, woodsy vibe.
All in all, I really enjoyed this novel. The God of the Woods takes a classic scary camp story and turns it into something unique and memorable. The interplaying themes of family dynamics, power dynamics, and where women stand in it all was deeply intriguing, especially given the time period the novel takes place (1950s-70s). It was suspenseful, chilling, and so atmospheric, and I just really liked it. So, this month we’ve had yet another great read that I definitely recommend. And we had another delicious cocktail that may become a new go-to for me. See you next month for a spooky Halloween horror!
My Rating:
Thanks for reading! And, if you read the book or try the cocktail let me know in a comment or on Instagram. Also, if you haven’t yet read my previous reviews, I recommend reading We Begin at the End and The Silent Patient if you liked this one!
Teghann
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