North Woods Book Review: Daniel Mason’s Multi-Generational Tale
I first heard about North Woods from my old teaching mentor, Judy, and admittedly judged a book by its cover. “It’s got a tiger on it!” I thought to myself, messaged her for the title since I couldn’t focus on anything else, then when I finally discovered it was called North Woods I asked around and was happy to receive a copy from Aunt Chris. She’d been stocking me up with reading material during my Achilles recovery.
Should You Read North Woods by Daniel Mason?
The premise I understood before reading the first page: a historical fiction novel centered on a single cabin in the northern woods of modern-day western Massachusetts, following the lives it sheltered across centuries. I trusted the rest on Judy’s recommendation and the “Pulitzer Prize finalist” tagline. I’d just come off devouring Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and North Woods slowed me down a bit — which took some adjustment.
Some of Mason’s most masterful paragraphs are his descriptions of nature. I absolutely loved the vivid detail he went into as various characters roam through the woods. This story is about more than just the plot; it’s place-based, and if you’ve ever ventured into a forest, especially in New England, you’ll appreciate this book.
The first few chapters take place in colonial America starting around the French and Indian War. At first I was thrown off by Mason’s use of archaic spelling and phrases. I quickly realized that I could easily understand everything thanks to Mason’s wordcraft, but found myself thinking I didn’t want to read 300 pages of it. Thankfully the prose switches to match the timeline as the story moves from the 1700s through to modern day.
One of my favorite parts are the historical references. I’m sure many of them went over my head, but having taught US history from Colonial America through the Civil War and into the 1900s, I made connections with everything, from wars to crop failures. One that stuck with me was a “year without a summer.” I’m pretty sure that’s the eruption of Mt. Tambora, but I’d love to hear from someone who knows for sure. Other historical plots include everything from Puritan life to slavery, wars, the market crash, and medical faux pas of the early 20th century.
Mason develops the characters quickly with explosive action at first. I was worried about meeting completely new characters each chapter and that it would read more like short stories, but I was relieved when Mason weaves the plot and characters together across the generations. Sometimes they or their actions are referenced historically; other chapters might jump a generation or two with the characters aging accordingly.
The Nature Writing That Hooked Me
Mason writes as an author who has spent countless hours watching nature, and I connected with these descriptions long enough to get hooked on the plot. The plot is expertly written, but it didn’t make me a ravenous reader the way a thriller might, that’s my genre preference talking, not a knock on the book.
I found myself relating to countless quotes and began to save a few. These especially made me think about life at the cabin or simply going out on a trail without a specific goal except to be outside in nature:
“The thousand seasons—of frogsong, of thunderheads, of first thaws—that hid within the canonical four”
— North Woods, p. 53
One of the later chapters introduces a painter who specializes in nature portraits of the woods, adding ample opportunities to get back into the natural world. These paintings become another recurring theme, with descriptions that feel more like poetry than prose, keeping me reading night after night.
“Spring, suddenly warm. Trees announce themselves with miniature leaves. The two white mounds outside the barn turn out to be a pair of ancient woodpiles, now nearly rotted to soil. Green pushes out the brown everywhere. A kind of amnesia sets in: wasn’t it always so? If I didn’t have my paintings, I might not believe that once this all was snow.”
— North Woods, p. 144
Who Should Read North Woods?
I absolutely recommend North Woods by Daniel Mason, and I especially recommend sticking with it. If you’re an elementary teacher like me looking for a less childish read, a history buff who loves rich detail woven into fiction, or someone who just wants to read something that feels like a long walk in the woods. This is your book. It would also make a fantastic book club pick; the historical threads alone would spark great discussion.
What starts as a quiet story sneaks up on you. It’s not a page-turner in the traditional sense, but it stays with you, which honestly might be better. If you liked TJ Klune’s House on the Cerulean Sea, I think you’d find a similar emotional resonance here.
Intrigued? Grab your copy on Amazon
(affiliate link, no extra cost to you).
Ready to experience this haunting tale? Buy North Woods on Amazon and discover why this Pulitzer Prize finalist has readers captivated.
STOP NOW if you don’t want spoilers!
It’s not actually a tiger. The catamount sits somewhere between a fixture of the setting and a recurring character that spans centuries. Subtly written into the story but this book is about so much more!
The Twist That Changed Everything
My favorite moment is a huge spoiler and was also my biggest shocker in the book. When Osgood’s daughters grow up and go from an elderly set of farming twins to entanglement with a murder most foul! At first I was appalled — there was no room for murder in this book. But the more I thought about it, the better it fit the plot and left me itching for more. I went from reading a few chapters here and there to prioritizing reading daily after this chapter.
The Supernatural Elements I Completely Missed
My father-in-law noticed I was reading North Woods when I was about halfway through and mentioned that he’d started it but quit after about a third because he didn’t connect with the supernatural aspects. I was bewildered — what supernatural aspects? This was a history novel about nature.
I guess I just missed the subtle clues. I assumed references to voices of the past or other paranormal possibilities were there to add figurative intrigue rather than foretelling the ghosts I finally realized might be real during the séance chapter.
My viewpoint shifted from historical fiction to a paranormal novel that had history in it, and I continued to enjoy the book. If anything, it hooked me harder once I realized it fit closer to the fantasy and sci-fi I usually reach for.
Mason expertly hid these ghosts behind a veil but uses them as plot devices to link generations together across the novel. By the end you’re left either rooting for death or nature to bring everything full circle.
Books Like North Woods
Looking for more books like North Woods? Check out The Overstory by Richard Powers, it’s actually Judy’s next recommendation for me, so I’ll report back. And if you haven’t read The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, add that to the list too.
