“North Woods”

I really like Daniel Mason’s work; The Winter Soldier is one of the best novels I’ve read in a long while. Consequently, I was looking forward to reading North Woods…

But I’m afraid it wasn’t in the same league. This wasn’t down to the quality of the writing (far from it!) but rather the nature of the multi-generational narrative. With a specific wood (and the remote house within it) being the main ‘character’ of the book, the whole felt a little like a set of connected short stories, or a portmanteau work (I was reminded of the Ross/Simon film California Suite). And given this structure, bringing the book to a coherent conclusion was always going to be a challenge, because in a way the character – as a ‘location’ – never really ‘ends’. (The end of The Winter Soldier is marvellous!) I can’t help but feel the way North Woods finishes is a little bit of a cop out, a fantastical convenience – but I won’t spoil it for you with a spoiler…

I can see how Mason might have been enchanted and mesmerised by the place, compelled to write about it, I just think a more coherent narrative would have served it better.

So I heartily recommend Mason’s work – I just wouldn’t start with North Woods, no matter what the blurb on the cover says.

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