A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries—a daring, moving tale of memory and fate from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier.
When a pair
…more of young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become home to an extraordinary succession of inhabitants . An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to apples. A pair of spinster twins survive war and famine, only to succumb to envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths a mass grave, but finds the ancient trees refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a conman, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle; as each one confronts the mysteries of the north woods, they come to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive.
Traversing cycles of history, nature, and even literature, North Woods shows the myriad, magical ways in which we’re connected to our environment and to one another, across time, language and space. Written along with the seasons and divided into the twelve months of the year, it is an unforgettable novel about secrets and fates that asks the timeless how do we live on, even after we’re gone?
I just finished North Woods in a rush, eager to know the ending and yet not wanting it to end. What a breathtaking book! It follows the many people who inhabit a particular house in Massachusetts throughout the centuries. It is a microcosm of the American story from the Puritans to the not so distant future. Beautifully written - a times lyrical, at times folksy, always surprisingly original. Daniel Mason not only creates a huge cast of characters, he writes with such love about the trees, the flowers, the seasons off this bit of New England forest. Indeed the woods are a character in themselves. Throughout the centuries, the house sees murder, love, despair and thwarted hopes, and the presence of each inhabitant lives on. The best book I’ve read in years. (less)
