Secrets and Second Chances with Fiction Author Liz Moore
January 5, 2026TOMS RIVER – Join us as New York Times bestselling author Liz Moore will discuss her latest book, The God of the Woods, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 28 during a virtual author talk presented by the Ocean County Library.
Embark on a tale of thrilling twists and disturbing disappearances in The God of the Woods, an instant New York Times bestseller and one of NPR’s 2024 “Books We Love” highlights.
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. This also 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 changes. It is Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
Liz Moore is the author of five novels: The Words of Every Song, Heft, The Unseen World, Long Bright River, and The God of the Woods. Moore was a winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature. She lives in Philadelphia and teaches in the MFA program in Creative Writing at Temple University.
The God of the Woods is available to borrow for free for OCL cardholders through our catalog. Visit tinyurl.com/MooreWoodsOCL to request your copy today.
Registration is required for this free program. To register, visit tinyurl.com/LizMooreOCL, call 732-349-6200, or visit your local OCL branch.
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