Description

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF JIMMY FALLON’S SUMMER READS BOOK CLUB
SELECTED FOR BARACK OBAMA’S SUMMER 2024 READING LIST
‘I was totally gripped’ DOUGLAS STUART
‘Immersive and enthralling’ PAULA HAWKINS
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‘If you venture into those woods you’re still sure of a big surprise’ The Times

Some said it was tragic, what happened to the Van Laars.

Some said the family deserved it. That they never even thanked the searchers who stayed out for five nights in the freezing forest trying to help find their missing son.

Some said there was a reason it took the family so long to call for help. That they knew what happened to the boy.

Now, fifteen years later, the Van Laars’ teenage daughter has gone missing in the same wilderness as her brother. Some say the two disappearances aren’t connected.

Some say they are.

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‘Brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced … I can’t remember the last time I felt so entangled in a novelist’s coils’ Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

‘A beguiling novel with a relentless grip. You won’t be able to put it down’ Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground

‘At once an immersive family saga and utterly propulsive mystery. Beautifully written’ Emilia Hart, author of Weyward

‘A masterful literary thriller’ Lucy Clarke, author of The Hike

‘Riveting from page one to the last breathless word … This book flew by at lightning speed, but will stick with me for a very long time’ Rebecca Makkai, author of I Have Some Questions For You

‘Dickensian in scope … Very entertaining’ Vogue, Best Picks for Summer 2024

The God of the Woods debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list on 21 July 2024.

Publisher Review

'I was totally gripped by this sharp, layered novel. A riveting tale of a missing child that widens into a vast, acute portrait of youth, friendship, family secrets, and conflicting social circles ... it's a brilliant trap full of secrets and lies' Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain 'A brilliant, riveting fox-trap of a novel - an epic mystery, a family saga and a survival guide ... I loved this book' Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace 'A wonderful double mystery, brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced ... I can't remember the last time I felt so entangled in a novelist's coils... I'll be pressing it into the hands of everyone I know' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures 'A rare gem, an immersive and enthralling literary thriller: a novel about love in the aftermath of tragedy, and about families of the very best - and the worst - kind' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train 'A beguiling novel with a relentless grip. You won't be able to put it down' Claire Fuller, author of Untamed Ground 'A bit like watching a great TV series ... great characters, a great plot, momentum, and that magic that makes it almost impossible to stop reading' Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha 'Riveting from page one to the last breathless word' Rebecca Makkai, author of I Have Some Questions For You 'At once an immersive family saga and utterly propulsive mystery. Beautifully written' Emilia Hart, author of Weyward 'A masterful literary thriller ... As layer upon layer of mysteries are revealed, this intelligently constructed story draws the reader into a breathtaking denouement' Lucy Clarke, author of The Hike