Book of The Month discussion

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide.

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. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

I just joined BOTM and ordered this book! Super excited to get my first box and start reading 😊

I'm about 2/3 through and really liking it!

okay, just digging in and I feel like I need a list of who was in the cabin!

Alice (view spoiler)[ Barbara's mom maybe?, mother to Bear who passed (hide spoiler)]
T.J.(view spoiler)[groundskeeper and camp director in the summer, didn't want Barbara there (hide spoiler)]
Jacob (view spoiler)[ was in jail, faked lack of leg use and then escaped. he's roaming empty houses for food (hide spoiler)]

Through pg 75

Girls: Melissa, Melissa, Jennifer, Michelle, Amy, Caroline, Tracy, Kim, Barbara

Adult: Louise (view spoiler)[ boyfriend: John Paul, at camp too (hide spoiler)]
Camp aids: Annabel (view spoiler)[ was drinking and gone (hide spoiler)]
Barbara (view spoiler)[ the girl who went missing. appears to be the daughter of the camp name?, last seen by Louise at 11, has a boyfriend (hide spoiler)]
Tracy (view spoiler)[ paid to go, just wanted to read all summer, alone until Barbara got there (hide spoiler)]

I love how you always list potential suspects in mysteries. Lol

Since you've started it I'll go ahead and post my comments for most of the book so you can see my thoughts as you read. I hope you're liking it.

Through IV
(view spoiler)[Oh. My. God. Peter is just awful! He’s a controlling jerk! Neither parent seems to be nurturing at all. I wonder if Alice is simply losing it now that she keeps hearing Bear’s voice and even seeing him. But jeez, growing up with parents like Alice and Peter, I guess I wouldn’t blame Barbara if she did run away. I do hope she’s okay. I hadn't noticed that she and her sister had a strained relationship, but after their visit, it appears that Alice doesn't like her sister much.
Judyta (never heard of that name) is an interesting detective with a different background. I like her so far. But Detective Denny Hayes is rather iffy. He seems a bit condescending to me. (hide spoiler)]

Through VI
(view spoiler)[Hmm…I’m not so sure that the one they handcuffed is the culprit. I think he was arrested too early in the book. Lol I still wonder about Slitter and if he’s the one involved. It’s just so odd to me that both of the camp family’s kids have gone missing.
I hate that Louise’s little brother Jesse smoked marijuana at only 9 years old, but I can understand why. Their mother was pretty much no good either. Jeez, these parents in all these books! Lol I sure hope that Louise doesn’t take her brother with her to John Paul’s. He’s not going to change.

I was surprised how Barbara knew what to do with that squirrel and when she said her family “taught her how” to skin it, it creeped me out making me wonder if it meant more than just learning how to skin a squirrel or animal when hunting. I’m more and more suspicious of the father. He's just so weird and has such a mean streak. Separate bedrooms? Alice was miserable until that one night and then she "caved" to his change in the bedroom...I wonder why he really did that.

What's with T.J.'s dad supposedly sleeping in her room with her but he's not there now? lol

And who bailed out Louise? SO many questions! (hide spoiler)]

Through Part 1

and I'm loving it, have no idea why it's taking me so long to read!!

(view spoiler)[ okay so I have a good list going but no real answers yet

we know Barbara was sneaking out at night
we know she said she had a boyfriend

so she could potentially still be okay.

but it sounds like the guy that is believed to have killed her brother was there?!? WHAT?
I wish I knew more about this but I know little yet.

and poor Louise. She's definitely going to be in trouble for being out. and yeah, Annabel being young and rich will probably not be blamed for being out - since she's young.

Yikes. there was A LOT going on at and around camp! lol (hide spoiler)]

Finished

(view spoiler)[I couldn't believe that Alice's own sister was sleeping with Peter! OMG! and then the other girl cheating with Jean Paul

A lot came out during this last section. I knew the grandfather had something to do with it, but that wasn't what I expected. All of the things that happened that day make sense now of why Alice was seeing her son and hearing him...why the grandfather and Peter's attitudes were so awful towards her. They blamed her for Bear's death. But they too had guilt on their hands. It seems like nearly everyone was involved in the complex final outcomes. lol

I am glad that Barbara was okay but at the same time it's hard to believe that at 13 years old she's been a survivalist in the woods and still has several years to go. But she did skin a squirrel and I think she said that her family had basically taught her survival skills.

I really liked the book and all the twists and turns. Plus I like how each chapter was headed with all the years and bolded print for the days, etc. (hide spoiler)]

Yes! You are certainly right about all you said. lol And just be ready for a lot more learning a lot but not knowing what's going on until way later.

Part II

Yes, STILL more confusion lol

(view spoiler)[ so Carl saw Bear last - we're onto the mystery of Bear

but I don't think it was Carl who saw him last
I think it was T.J. and I have no idea why she lied

I don't think she was sad. AND I think Vic did something - took charge and hid stuff - in order to protect his own daughter

but does Bear's previous disappearance and murder (?) tie somehow into why Barbara was missing now?

maybe (hide spoiler)]

Great detective work, Trisha. But I can give you no answers! lol I had so many of the same questions as I read through it.

Part III

wait (view spoiler)[ so why does the grandpa seems so guilty about the grandson, Bear? Maybe T.J. was in an unexpected spot and she saw things she shouldn't have? I can't imagine because Vic has never been "rewarded" for not telling and T.J. certainly hasn't bee given anything special. so. . .what could T.J. have seen and what does that have to do with the grandpa?
or are they different things?

Tracy - jeez. getting lost like that. Yikes. But, if Alice didn't help her out of the woods - was that Jacob? And did he actually help, not hurt?

with all the items and leaving behind the finger prints, I have to assume he really did do the previous crimes - but that doesn't mean he killed Bear. and is Bear just missing?

and that leaves us with Barbara.
she was meeting at a fire look out building. but Tracy couldn't find and the police don't know, yet, that that's where she went

Tracy needs to start getting honest

and I feel really bad for Louise - but really, she was the adult.
they should have been honest and up front from the get go. Hopefully the kids will start fessing up now and Louise won't go down for this (hide spoiler)]

and Part IV

I don't feel like that gave us any answers

There were a lot of things in that section that gave us a lot of information but probably more questions that info. lol I do think you're a better detective than I am! lol

okay, finally almost done with this one!

Through Part VI

(view spoiler)[ Who is the women they see in the forest? Why is Barbara visiting T.J. in the middle of the night? Could they have been planning setting the John guy up?

Where is Barbara?

Those clothes were the ones from when she got injured at the Survival trip - so both Barbara and T.J. would have had access to take them and plant them. but why? Is THAT what T.J. saw? John Paul guy hurting Bear? but then why was he never found?

ugh, so many questions and very few answers
I am truly sad that Carl was blamed and not Jacob - which was not what I thought everyone had done. (hide spoiler)]

I'm so ready for answers! lol

and I'm done

(view spoiler)[ wow, as soon as they set up the day, I was worried it was April. heartbreaking all they did to everyone to cover up their crime. I'm so glad Louise wasn't blamed

but I also thought the bag was to frame John paul and that Barbara had a hand in it. I wondered if T.J. had a hand in it too - because they'd been meeting up.

and I'm glad Tracy learned but also grew and was able to remember Barbara but also move on
(hide spoiler)]

this one was so good!

Sorry I wasn't on GR yesterday or Thursday to respond but as you know my granddaughter was here...such a great visit!

I'm so glad you liked it too. The author really kept me on my toes! What a good book!

I finally finished this book! Life has been busy this month... but I LOVED IT so much. I enjoyed all of the characters and honestly the back and forth between viewpoints and timelines really kept my interest.

I have a few questions/comments:
(view spoiler)[
1. Why did they choose to frame JPM? Was it because of T.J.'s knowledge of what he had done to Louise?
2. I need to know how Barbara turned out. This book needs a follow up of when she turns 18!
3. Why wouldn't T.J. get arrested as well? Didn't she know about what happened to the little boy as well, keeping the secret? (hide spoiler)]

I'm so glad you loved it too!

These are just my thoughts:

1. (view spoiler)[ YES! Because they knew he had a terrible habit with young girls and they wanted to take him down. Both Barbara and T.J. knew he was bad - and that he was hitting/beating up Louise but also that he had a habit with young girls (hide spoiler)]

2. (view spoiler)[ I know, a follow up would be amazing!!
but, honestly, give me a book with the detective again!! She can go visit Barbara! but I would love more from her! I really liked her POV and her ease with interviewing and handling boys trying to make her uncomfortable (but suspects and her co-workers) (hide spoiler)]

3. (view spoiler)[ I think, because T.J. was also just a child at the time, they wouldn't have gone after her now - because they could say she was a young child coerced by older adults in powerful positions yadda yadda (hide spoiler)]