The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore

 

Characters
Camp Emerson	Self-Reliance - Preserve’s main house
TJ Hewitt -camp director in summer, groundskeeper rest of year Vic – father, first camp director, buried Bear   Louise Donnadieu – Camp counselor in Barbara’s cabin Jesse – younger brother at home   Annabel Southworth – Counselor-in-training (family is friends with Van Laar’s)   Tracy – tentmate with Barbara, forced to go to camp Molly Jewell – mother Donna Romano – father’s girlfriend   Lee Townson – prep chef and dishwasher, once arrested for rape, went missing	Peter Van Laar III Alice – wife “Bear” – Peter IV, deceased or missing Barbara – sent to camp, going somewhere at night, missing   Delphine – Alice’s sister George - husband   Peter Van Laar II -Bear’s grandfather, Bear told Carl he did not like him   John Paul McLellan Jr. – family is friends and business associates with Van Laar’s, Louise’s boyfriend, abusive   Vic Hewitt – originally family butler or helper Tessie Jo – daughter   Carl Stoddard – gardener at Preserve, falsely blamed for Bear’s death Maryann – wife, “Scary Mary” Scotty – son deceased Three daughters Jeannie Clute – daughter, temporary cook, looking for information to clear father
Others
Jacob Sluiter “Slitter” – escaped from jail, family originally owned the land   Judyta Luptack “Judy” – State Police, Criminal Investigator Denny Hayes – Senior Investigator   Captain Rochelle -brought in to take charge of search, made his career on Bear’s case Detective Lowry   Bob Alcott – history teacher, owns The Alcott Family Inn

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.      There were multiple side stories to the main story of the disappearances of Bear and Barbara, (Delphine’s affair with Peter III, Alice’s mental illness, Louise and her family, Jacob Sluiter, Judyta’s family, Lee Townsend, etc.).  How did they add to the main story?

2.      Which characters did you find the most interesting or memorable?  Were there any revelations that surprised you about someone?

3.      What part did Tracy play in the story?  How was she important?

4.      Mrs. Clute (Carl Stoddard’s daughter) told Judy “They let the wrong man take the blame…Let his name be ruined” (page 288) and “…the family bungled the whole search from start to finish.” (page 289).  When you read this, what did you think about the Van Laar family and the current search?

5.      When Judy was staying at the Alcott Inn, on Day 3 Bob Alcott came to her room and said he had information to tell her about Bear (pages 333-334) which was not revealed.   Why did the author leave the reader hanging for almost 100 pages?

6.      Then on Day 5 (pages 428 – 432), he told her about the history of the Van Laar Preserve, how the camp was conceived by Vic Hewitt, and how he or TJ will inherit it when Peter II dies.  How did this information add to your solving the mystery?

7.      Were you surprised when you read what had happened to Bear?  How did that fit into the larger story?

8.      As you were reading, what did you think had happened to Barbara? 

9.      What did you think about the very ending?  Was it satisfying?  Were you surprised at Judy’s decision? 

10.  Were you able to keep the timeline straight? Did the headings at the beginning of each chapter help?

11.  What did you think about the Survival Trips?  Some campers received no food in their backpacks.  Do you think the families were aware of this activity?  Would you have enjoyed this?