North Woods is a recent novel by Daniel Mason—one of the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2023 and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize—that follows a house in Western Massachusetts as it changes hands throughout history. Told in immersive, moving vignettes, the novel strides through multiple centuries, its voice and style shapeshifting with every chapter. The story begins in the 1600s: a young couple runs away together, fleeing their English colony to establish a life together somewhere in the wilderness. They find a clearing, make a home of it, and the seeds of history are planted. From there, we meet the various humans and animals whose stories intersect with this house in the north woods. There’s a retired Royalist soldier who dedicates his life to growing apple trees, twin sisters who live and age with each other as America enters the 19th century, a wild mountain lion, a famous painter caught in a forbidden romance, a widow attempting to understand her son and his schizophrenia, a beetle, a true crime reporter, and so many others. Each story explores an entirely different landscape of emotions and ideas, and with the house as its anchor, the novel offers a stunning panoramic view of America, nature, and humanity.
Reading North Woods felt like reading ten novels in one, in the best way. With each chapter, Mason offers us a different period of America and a whole new set of characters, then connects the stories with these subtle, surprising threads. It’s fascinating to see which elements last for generations, which fade away after one, and which remain dormant then pop up years later… and it really got me thinking about the legacy we leave behind, and how it’s mostly out of our control. I was blown away by Mason’s ability to tap into so many different kinds of minds (the chapter from the perspective of the beetle was particularly wild), and the way he plays with language pushes the boundaries in an exciting way. Some chapters are written in verse, one consists of letters, another consists of diary entries, and all are equally compelling. There’s also a surprising element of the supernatural, and I loved how often I found myself genuinely spooked, especially in a book so grounded in the real world. North Woods is an artistic triumph and a compelling read—I absolutely loved it.
I’d recommend this book to…
- Anyone who likes to ponder the big questions, like our purpose on this planet, through entertaining novels… it’s similar in theme to Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
- Anyone who loves unconventional, genre-bending historical fiction… it’s similar in style to Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
- Anyone looking for something filled with nostalgia and awe… it’s similar in tone to Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
