The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Are you feeling a little lost, like Barbara and Bear in The God of the Woods? Welcome to the camp! I mean… to the club!

This is a full-spoiler post where I break down everything that happens in the novel. I’ll walk you through a detailed, chapter-by-chapter, timeline-by-timeline overview of the story, from the first disappearance to the final reveal. Along the way, I’ll also answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the book, the characters, and how it all fits together.

Let’s dive in.

Spoiler Alert: This post contains major spoilers for The God of the Woods.
If you haven’t finished the book yet, I recommend saving this for later. This timeline digs into all the key events, character arcs, and twists, so reading ahead may reveal details you’ll want to experience in the story itself first.

The God of the Woods – Book Synopsis

Published July 2, 2024

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.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances.

Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet, The God of the Woods is a story of inheritance and second chances, the tensions between a family and a community, and a history that will not let any of them go.

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Title	The God of the Woods
Author	Liz Moore
Genre	Thriller, Crime, Psychological Thriller, Mistery Thriller
Format	478 pages, Hardcover
Published	July 2, 2024 by Riverhead Books
ISBN	9780593418918 (ISBN10: 0593418913)
ASIN	0593418913
Language	English
Awards	Barry Award Nominee for Mystery (2025), Anthony Award Nominee for Best Hardcover Novel (2025), Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for Mystery/Thriller (2024), Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel (2025), Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery/Thriller (2024), Book of the Month Book of the Year Award (2024), She Reads Best of Award for Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense and Nominee for Book of the Year (2024), Barnes & Noble Book of the Year Award Nominee (2024), Libby Award Nominee for Best Adult Fiction (2025)

Author’s Bio – Liz Moore

Liz Moore is an American novelist and professor known for her character-driven stories that blend literary depth with mystery and emotional complexity. She is the author of several acclaimed novels, including Long Bright River, Heft, and The Unseen World. Her work often explores themes of family, identity, and the human cost of societal issues.
Originally from New York City, Moore is a former musician and a graduate of Barnard College. She currently teaches creative writing at Temple University in Philadelphia. Her 2020 novel Long Bright River was a New York Times bestseller and a selection for numerous book clubs and award lists.
The God of the Woods (2024) is her latest novel, a literary mystery set in the Adirondacks that showcases her signature atmospheric style and complex character work.

Check her Official Website: Liz Moore

Consider adding The God of the Woods to your TBR list on Goodreads.

The God of the Woods – Timelines Explained

This section is where I break down the full timeline of The God of the Woods, so if you’re trying to piece everything together or just want a clear picture of what happens when, you’re in the right place. The book jumps around a lot in time and perspective, so I wanted to lay it all out in order, with all the major events, chapter by chapter. It’s a full spoiler dive, so definitely make sure you’ve read the book before digging in.

Hope it helps make sense of all the layers, and maybe even gives you a new way to appreciate how the story is built.

The God of the Woods is a non-linear book, it jumps between timelines and follows different characters. Bit by bit, it pieces together the Van Laar family’s history and the mysteries surrounding Bear and Barbara’s disappearances.

The book is divided into 7 main parts, which are:

Barbara
Bear
When Lost
Visitors
Found
Survival
Self-Reliance

Inside each part, you’ll find chapters that move between different characters’ perspectives and different points in time. So, I created this accordion timeline system to help you follow along, as the chapters shift across timelines and characters, you’ll see everything laid out in clear, bullet-point summaries.

Part 1 – Summary

Part 2 – Summary

Part 3 – Summary

Part 4 – Summary

Part 5 – Summary

Part 6 – Summary

Part 7 – Summary

The God of The Woods FAQ

Have questions about The God of the Woods? You’re not alone. In this section, I’ve gathered some of the most common questions readers have about the book itself, its genre, title, themes, and more.

Whether you’re just curious or looking for a deeper understanding, this is a great place to start.

The God of the Woods – FAQ About the Book

To keep the post from getting too long, I set it up in a question-and-answer format using accordions. Just click the small icon on the right side of each question to reveal the answer

The God of the Woods is about a wealthy family, a private summer camp, and two disappearances, fourteen years apart, that slowly unravel a web of secrets, power, and silence. It’s part mystery, part family drama, and follows different characters across decades as they try to uncover the truth and come to terms with what’s been hidden for too long.

At its heart, it’s about what people will do to protect themselves, and what it costs to finally tell the truth.

The God of the Woods doesn’t have just one narrator, it switches between several characters. Each chapter is told from a different point of view, all in third person, so we get to see what different people are thinking and feeling.

No, The God of the Woods isn’t based on a true story, but parts of it were inspired by real events. The author, Liz Moore, has mentioned that the setting and atmosphere were influenced by the case of Robert Garrow, a serial killer who hid in the Adirondacks in the 1970s.

But the characters, the camp, and the plot are all fictional.

I have to say, I really struggled with this book at first. I was drawn to The God of the Woods thinking it would be a fast-paced mystery thriller, but in my opinion, it’s much more of a literary mystery. It blends several other genres too, like family drama, crime fiction, some investigation, and even a bit of historical fiction mixed in.

The title The God of the Woods comes from Pan, the Greek god of the forest and wild places. Liz Moore actually confirmed this in an interview. Pan is known for being a little wild and unpredictable, he’s tied to nature, animals, and the idea of getting lost in the woods. That really fits the mood of the book.

The story takes place in the Adirondacks, where the forest feels both beautiful and dangerous, and so much of the novel is about secrecy, survival, and what people hide in the wilderness. The title just pulls all of that together.

The God of the Woods takes place across several decades, but the main events happen during the summer of 1975, mainly between June and August. That’s when Barbara disappears and the investigation takes off.

But the story also goes back to 1961, when her brother Bear vanished, and even earlier into the 1950s, to give us more background on the family, the camp, and how everything connects.

Here’s a timeline image to help you place the main events and keep track of how the story moves through time.

I wouldn’t call The God of the Woods supernatural, and it’s not exactly scary in a traditional way either. There aren’t any ghosts or monsters, but there is a quiet, eerie feeling that runs through the whole book. It’s more about the tension, the secrets, and the sense that something is just a little off. The woods feel mysterious and unsettling at times, and that creates a kind of slow, creeping unease.

As of now, there’s no official news about a movie or series adaptation of The God of the Woods.

Not really, The God of the Woods is more of a slow burn. It takes its time building the story, letting you get to know the characters and their histories before the bigger pieces of the mystery start falling into place. If you’re expecting a fast-paced thriller, this might not be the right fit. The slower pace stays consistent up to the end.

The name comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous essay, which promotes ideas like individual freedom, nonconformity, and trusting your own voice. But the Self-Reliance area of the Van Laar estate is anything but that. Instead of being a place where people are free to be themselves, it’s where secrets are buried (literally, in Bear’s case), appearances are maintained, and people are silenced to protect the family’s image.

The irony of the name Self-Reliance in The God of the Woods lies in the contrast between what the name suggests and what actually happens in that space, and in the Van Laar family more broadly.

It’s especially ironic because the people with the most power in the novel, the Van Laars, preach independence and tradition, but they rely heavily on wealth, control, and cover-ups to maintain their version of “order.” Meanwhile, the characters who truly embody self-reliance, Barbara, Judyta, T.J., and even Maryanne Stoddard, are the ones who are pushed to the margins or forced to break away in order to survive.

So the name Self-Reliance becomes ironic in the best literary sense, it highlights the gap between ideal and reality, and reminds us that real independence doesn’t come from status or legacy, but from the difficult work of telling the truth and living by it.

The God of the Woods – FAQ About the Plot & Ending

To keep the post from getting too long, I set it up in a question-and-answer format using accordions. Just click the small icon on the right side of each question to reveal the answer

The God of the Woods is mainly about two disappearances, fourteen years apart, both connected to the same family and the same estate, a large property in the Adirondacks owned by the wealthy Van Laar family. In 1961, Bear Van Laar disappears after a party in Self-Reliance, a private part of the estate. Fourteen years later, in 1975, his sister Barbara vanishes from Camp Emerson, the family’s summer camp located on the same grounds. Both disappearances unravel secrets the Van Laars have been hiding for years.

In 1961, seven-year-old Bear Van Laar vanishes during a storm. His mother, Alice, is later found soaking wet and hysterical. What no one outside the family knows is that Alice was responsible, she took Bear out on the lake in a boat while intoxicated, and he drowned. Instead of telling the truth, the Van Laars cover it up, bury Bear’s body in secret, and blame a man named Carl Stoddard, who later dies in police custody. The real story is buried, literally, and kept hidden for years, until a new disappearance brings everything back to the surface.

Then in the summer of 1975, Bear’s teenage sister, Barbara, goes missing from that same camp. Her disappearance sparks a new investigation, which slowly starts to unravel what really happened to Bear. Through the perspectives of different characters, counselors, campers, investigators, and family members, we start to see how power, silence, and guilt shaped everything.

As the story moves through time, we learn that Barbara wasn’t taken, she ran away, with the help of T.J. Hewitt, to escape her controlling family. She’s been hiding out, surviving in the woods, waiting until she turns eighteen. Meanwhile, a retired fugitive named Jacob Sluiter comes forward and reveals the location of Bear’s hidden grave. That finally exposes the cover-up and leads to the Van Laars being charged with conspiracy.

In the end, Barbara is found alive, and the truth about both disappearances comes to light. But it’s a quiet kind of justice, some people are held accountable, others are not, and the emotional fallout still lingers. It’s a story about what people will do to protect their families, and what happens when those choices finally catch up with them.

According to author Liz Moore, the title The God of the Woods originally refers to Pan, the Greek god tied to nature and wild places. But she’s also said that the title can apply to more than one character in the book. People like Barbara, Judyta, and T.J. all have a special connection to the woods. They’re the ones who move through it with purpose, they survive, find clarity, or even a sense of freedom there. In that way, they sort of become their own version of the “god of the woods,” especially when you compare them to characters who get overwhelmed or lost, either physically or emotionally, in that same setting.

A lot of readers have also picked up on this idea. In reviews and discussions, people often point out that the woods themselves feel like a kind of refuge for certain characters. For someone like Barbara, the forest isn’t something to fear, it’s a place where she finally feels safe and free. By choosing to live there, she escapes a life where she felt controlled and unseen. So in that way, the woods almost become a source of comfort and strength, not just danger or mystery.

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The God of The Woods – FAQ About the Mystery & Timelines

To keep the post from getting too long, I set it up in a question-and-answer format using accordions. Just click the small icon on the right side of each question to reveal the answer

Alice is one of the most heartbreaking characters in The God of the Woods. After her son Bear drowns in 1961, during a boating accident that she caused while intoxicated, her life starts to unravel. To make things worse, her husband Peter and her sister Delphine are having an affair, something Alice discovers shortly before everything falls apart. Instead of being supported, she’s institutionalized, heavily medicated, and quietly pushed out of sight by the Van Laar family, who cover up the truth and blame someone else for Bear’s death.

By 1975, when Barbara goes missing, Alice is barely functioning. She’s sent away again, this time to Albany, where she lives mostly alone, lost in memory and medication. She still thinks about Bear, though she can’t always trust what’s real. In the end, Alice doesn’t get justice or closure. She’s silenced by the people around her, carrying the weight of grief, betrayal, and guilt without ever being allowed to truly face or heal from any of it.

Bear died in a tragic boating accident in 1961. His mother, Alice, had been drinking and took him out on the lake in a boat during a storm. The boat capsized, and Bear drowned. It wasn’t murder, but it was preventable, and deeply tied to Alice’s emotional state at the time.

Instead of telling the truth, the Van Laar family decided to cover it up. Bear’s body was secretly buried on the family’s estate, and they blamed a local man, Carl Stoddard, who ended up dying in police custody. For years, no one outside the family knew what really happened, until Barbara’s disappearance in 1975 finally brought those buried secrets to the surface.

No one killed Bear on purpose, but his death was caused by his mother, Alice. In 1961, she took him out on the lake in a boat while she was drunk, and during a storm, the boat overturned. Bear drowned.

Even though it was an accident, the Van Laar family treated it like a scandal to be buried, literally. They covered it up, blamed someone else, and made sure the truth stayed hidden for years. So while Bear wasn’t murdered, his death was the result of a tragic mix of neglect, poor judgment, and a family more focused on protecting its image than telling the truth.

In The God of the Woods, Barbara doesn’t disappear because someone takes her, she chooses to run away. At just 13 years old, she’s desperate to escape the control of her wealthy, distant family and the expectations placed on her. With the help of T.J. Hewitt, a camp staff member she trusts, Barbara hides in the wilderness on a remote island in the Adirondacks, part of the same estate where the family’s camp is located.

She spends the summer surviving on her own, preparing for the day she turns 18 and can legally stay hidden without being forced back. While the adults in her life panic, search, and speculate, Barbara is quietly learning to live on her own terms.

In the final chapter, Judyta, one of the investigators, finds her. Barbara is alive, calm, strong, and completely at peace with her choice. When Judyta asks if she wants to be left alone, Barbara simply says, “Yes.” It’s a powerful moment that shows Barbara didn’t just survive, she claimed her freedom.

The pink on the cover of The God of the Woods refers to the paint color Alice chose to cover the mural in Barbara’s bedroom.

Just before the annual party at Self-Reliance in 1975, Alice asks the painters to paint over the mural, one that Barbara had created herself. The color is described as a soft, almost flesh-toned pink. It’s a small moment in the book, but it speaks volumes: about Alice’s attempt to control or erase things that feel too wild, too emotional, or too honest. So that pink on the cover isn’t just decoration, it’s a quiet symbol of everything that’s been covered up, hidden, or silenced.

The God of The Woods – FAQ About the Characters

To keep the post from getting too long, I set it up in a question-and-answer format using accordions. Just click the small icon on the right side of each question to reveal the answer

Louise Donnadieu is one of the counselors at Camp Emerson, and her story is one of the most emotional in The God of the Woods. She’s strong and caring, but she’s also carrying a lot. At home, she has an alcoholic mother who’s emotionally distant and unpredictable, and a younger brother, Jesse, whom she’s constantly trying to protect. That pressure weighs on her throughout the book, she’s always trying to hold things together for him, even when her own life is falling apart.

She’s involved with John Paul McLellan Jr., a wealthy, older man who manipulates her and uses his power to keep her quiet. When Barbara goes missing, Louise is quickly treated as a suspect, even though she’s innocent. She’s arrested and nearly made the scapegoat, but with help from Maryanne Stoddard, she’s bailed out and slowly begins to see the truth about how she’s been treated, not just by John Paul, but by many people in her life.

By the end, Louise finds the strength to say no, to stand her ground, and even to press charges against John Paul for what he did to her. She stops letting others define her, and starts imagining a life she might actually want. Her journey is about survival, but also about finally choosing herself.

Alice Van Laar is Barbara and Bear’s mother, and her story is one of quiet tragedy. She’s fragile, deeply lonely, and emotionally isolated, both by her wealthy in-laws and by her own grief. After Bear’s death in 1961, which she caused in a drunken boating accident, Alice is institutionalized and heavily medicated. On top of that, she’s been betrayed by both her husband and her sister, who were having an affair. By the time Barbara disappears in 1975, Alice is barely present, lost in memories, guilt, and silence. She doesn’t get justice or peace, but she carries the weight of it all.

Tracy is Barbara’s bunkmate at Camp Emerson. When she first arrives, she’s insecure and closed off, sent to camp by her recently divorced, mostly absent father, who already has a new girlfriend. But being at camp, and especially meeting Barbara, starts to shift something in her.

She slowly begins to open up, finding a quiet sense of strength and connection she didn’t expect. And since we don’t get Barbara’s point of view right away, it’s through Tracy’s eyes that we first catch glimpses of who Barbara really is, curious, independent, and quietly powerful. Even though their time together is brief, Barbara leaves a deep and lasting mark on her.

When Barbara disappears, Tracy doesn’t just stay behind, she decides to leave the camp and head to Hunt Mountain, hoping to find her. It’s a brave and emotional choice, especially for someone as shy and unsure of herself as Tracy. But she gets lost in the woods, scared and alone, until she finally stops and cries out for help. That’s when a gray-haired woman appears, quiet and calm, and gently leads her back to camp. At the time, Tracy doesn’t know who she is, but later we learn that the woman was Maryanne Stoddard, the widow of the man wrongly blamed for Bear’s disappearance.

Once back at camp, Tracy is interviewed by investigators. She shares what she remembers about Barbara, the camp, and the survival trip. She gives us a clearer picture of who Barbara was through her eyes, strong, self-reliant, and different from everyone else. Eventually, Tracy is sent home, still without answers, but carrying everything that happened like a quiet weight.

In the end, she becomes a kind of witness, not just to the mystery, but to Barbara’s spirit. Even though she may not fully understand it yet, her time at camp, and everything she went through, leaves a lasting mark on her.

T.J. Hewitt is a longtime staff member at Camp Emerson and the daughter of Victor Hewitt, the former camp director. As her father ages, T.J. gradually steps into his role, becoming a quiet but steady leader at the camp. She’s thoughtful, capable, and deeply loyal, especially to Victor.

It’s implied in the book that T.J. is gay, and she shares a quiet emotional bond with Louise, especially after helping her cope with the abuse she suffered from John Paul. T.J. later uses Barbara’s disappearance as a way to draw attention to John Paul’s actions and protect others.

She also shares a deep, personal connection with Barbara. T.J. is the only one who truly sees Barbara for who she is, strong, self-reliant, and different. Their bond is powerful, T.J. becomes a kind of mother figure, offering Barbara the safety, understanding, and freedom she never got from her own family.

T.J. was also Bear’s best friend, and she’s haunted by what happened to him. She helped cover up his death in 1961 to protect her father and carries that guilt with her for years. Helping Barbara escape is, in many ways, her way of trying to make things right. By the end of the book, though she never fully confesses everything, T.J. accepts the consequences and chooses honesty over silence. Her story is about quiet strength, loyalty, and the quiet but powerful ways people try to protect the ones they love.

John Paul McLellan Jr. is a wealthy, older man closely connected to the Van Laar family, and he plays a major role in the mystery surrounding Barbara’s disappearance. Early in the book, we’re led to believe he had a secret relationship with Barbara, which makes him a key suspect. But by the end, that connection seems more like a red herring, possibly even a deliberate setup, likely encouraged by T.J., who may have given Barbara information to help expose or frame him.

John Paul is also involved with Louise, a camp counselor, and treats her with the same disregard and control. At the same time, he’s secretly engaged to Annabelle, another counselor who comes from a wealthy family tied to the Van Laars, someone considered far more “suitable” for him to marry. The two of them were meeting in a hidden cabin on Hunt Mountain, and in the end, it’s Annabelle who gives him the alibi that clears him of any legal trouble in Barbara’s case.

While he avoids serious consequences for his role in the investigation, Louise later presses assault charges against him. So even though he escapes the worst of it, the book leaves no doubt: John Paul is someone who uses his status to manipulate others and protect himself, even when he’s clearly done harm.

In The God of the Woods, there are four generations of Peter Van Laar, each one carrying the same name and the weight of the family legacy. The first Peter was the one who bought the land in the Adirondacks and built the estate that would become the Van Laar family’s pride, complete with a private summer camp and the exclusive area called Self-Reliance.

The second Peter (known as Peter Sr.) expanded that legacy, he is the grandfather of Barbara and Bear. Peter Sr. plays a major role in the book, he’s sharp, controlling, and deeply focused on maintaining the family’s image, even if it means covering up Bear’s death and letting someone else take the fall.

Peter Van Laar III is Alice’s husband and the father of Barbara and Bear. He’s emotionally distant and, like his father, puts the family’s reputation above everything else. He’s also having an affair with Alice’s sister, Delphine, which adds even more pain to an already fractured household.

And then there’s Peter Van Laar IV, known to everyone simply as Bear. From birth, he was called Bear, which set him apart from the heavy tradition of the Peters before him. But even with a different name, he couldn’t escape the family’s control or the pressure of being part of a legacy built on wealth, image, and silence. The Van Laars may be deeply tied to nature on the surface, but over time, it becomes clear they’re more committed to appearances than to truth or care, even within their own family.

Victor (Vic) Hewitt is a longtime staff member at Camp Emerson and a key figure in the Van Laar estate’s past. He was once the director of the camp, deeply trusted by the Van Laar family, and played a major role in how things were run for decades. On the surface, Vic seems like a quiet, dependable presence, but as the story unfolds, we learn that he’s been carrying a dark secret for years.

In 1961, after Bear Van Laar’s drowning, Vic is the one who helps the Van Laars cover it up. He doesn’t kill Bear, but he helps bury the body in the woods and stays silent about it for over a decade. His decision is partly out of fear and partly out of loyalty, especially to his daughter, T.J., who also works at the camp.

By 1975, Vic is older and in declining health. He becomes increasingly confused and fragile, and we start to see the emotional toll that silence and guilt have taken on him. When the truth about Bear starts to come out, Vic is finally found in hiding, living above the old slaughterhouse on the property. He doesn’t resist being found, and in his own broken way, he seems ready to let the truth surface.

Vic’s story is about complicity, the weight of loyalty, and what it means to live with something you can’t undo. He isn’t the villain, but he also isn’t innocent, and by the end of the book, that gray area is part of what makes his character so powerful.

Jacob Sluiter is a convicted serial killer and a truly chilling presence in The God of the Woods. Years before the story begins, he committed a series of violent crimes, and by the time we meet him in 1975, he has already escaped prison, faking paralysis to avoid suspicion, then vanishing into the Adirondacks.

When Barbara disappears, the police initially think Jacob might be involved. He’s eventually caught hiding in a cabin, and although he’s clearly dangerous, it becomes clear that he didn’t take Barbara. But because the case is high profile and the authorities are under pressure, they start to push hard to connect Jacob to her disappearance, even if the facts don’t fully line up.

Jacob knows this, and in a twisted way, decides to use what he does know to stay in control. He tells them he witnessed Bear Van Laar’s burial back in 1961, something he saw while hiding in the woods as a fugitive. He didn’t kill Bear, but he uses the information as leverage, not out of guilt, but out of strategy.

Jacob is not a misunderstood figure, he’s a manipulative and dangerous man. But ironically, he’s also the one who leads the investigators to the truth, because he refuses to let the blame for a crime he didn’t commit be pinned on him. So in the end, his confession helps expose what the Van Laars tried so hard to keep buried.

How does The God of the Woods end?

Here’s a simple, personal summary/breakdown of what happens by the end of The God of The Woods, character by character, secret by secret:

Bear Van Laar

In the end, we find out that Bear Van Laar drowned in 1961 while boating with his mother, Alice, who was drunk at the time. The Van Laar family covered it up, buried his body, and blamed an innocent man, Carl Stoddard, who later died in police custody. For over a decade, the truth stayed hidden, until Barbara’s disappearance in 1975 begins to unravel everything.

Barbara

Barbara disappears much like Bear did, but 14 years later. She was one of the campers at the summer camp owned by her family. With help from T.J., she escaped her family and planned to stay hidden until she turned 18, so she could make her own decisions without interference. Judyta eventually finds Barbara alive and safe, living alone on a remote island deep in the Adirondacks.

Alice

Alice is isolated and heavily medicated in Albany. She’s filled with grief, guilt, and betrayal, and although Peter finally tells her the full truth about Bear, it comes too late to help her heal. She’s a deeply sad character, one of those who never really had a chance at happiness.

T.J

T.J. is found in hiding with her father, Victor, at the preserve’s slaughterhouse, but she doesn’t run. She asks to be tied to him so they’re not separated and quietly agrees to go with Judyta. She takes responsibility for hiding the truth about Bear’s accident and the cover-up. Judyta wonders what will happen to T.J., but to her, it’s clear: T.J. will be okay. She’s always known how to rely on herself. T.J. isn’t charged with any crime and never admits that she helped Barbara run away. It’s also left unclear whether or not she returns to the reserve.

Louise

Louise is released from all charges, begins to heal, and finds her strength. She is now reunited with her brother, a quiet but meaningful part of her recovery. After being nearly blamed for Barbara’s disappearance, she stands up and presses assault charges against John Paul, refusing to be silenced any longer.

John Paul McLellan Jr.

John Paul McLellan Jr. avoids charges related to Barbara, thanks to an alibi from Annabelle, his “real fiancée” from a friend wealthy family. But Louise takes him to court for what he did to her, and he finally has to face consequences.

Jacob Sluiter

Jacob Sluiter, a serial killer hiding in the woods, confesses that he saw Bear’s body being buried back in 1961. He tells the truth not out of guilt, but because he doesn’t want to be blamed for that, or for Barbara’s disappearance.

Victor (Vic)

Victor is found frail and confused, weighed down by years of guilt. He helped bury Bear to protect T.J., hoping it would keep her safe, even though it left him broken inside. In the end, during brief moments of clarity, he confesses everything, but he is not charged for his role in covering up Bear’s death, likely due to his age and declining health.

The Van Laars

The Van Laars are finally being held responsible. Alice Van Laar won’t be charged for Bear’s death, too much time has passed, and the law no longer allows it. But Peter Van Laar II and III are being charged with lying to the police and covering up the truth for years. This includes the lies they told again during the search for Barbara. Right now, both are out on bail, waiting for their trial. And for the first time, their powerful family lawyer, John Paul McLellan Sr., won’t be defending them.

Carl Stoddard

Carl Stoddard’s name is finally cleared, bringing long-overdue justice to the man who was blamed and never had the chance to defend himself.

Tracy

Tracy returns home changed by her brief but meaningful friendship with Barbara. She doesn’t know everything, but she carries what she experienced, the mystery, the sadness, and Barbara’s quiet strength. That summer left a mark on her, one she’s still trying to understand.

Judyta

Judyta pulls all the threads together. She leads the investigation, finds Barbara, and chooses to respect her wish to stay hidden. She also quietly takes a big step for herself, moving out of her parents’ home and starting fresh, finally living on her own terms.

The novel ends not with big drama, but with emotional truth. Secrets come to light. Justice isn’t perfect. Healing takes time. But the silence is broken, and those who remain have to live with what’s finally been revealed.

Let’s Chat!

Did this guide help you make sense of The God of the Woods? I’d love to hear what you thought of the ending, the characters, or anything that stayed with you after turning the last page.

Feel free to share your thoughts or questions in the comments!

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