I loved this book so much! It was so much more than I ever imagined!

I am glad to see it getting good reviews - I happen to be from Los Angeles, and lived near Griffith Park (where the book takes place), when GP was home to the famed mountain lion, P-22. This book never says P-22 and goes off track a bit from total reality (in a glorious way), but it was obviously inspired by the story of P-22. So, I’m glad people who maybe aren’t familiar with the inspiration, are still appreciating it.

P-22 did get international fame, because his story was endearing - a story of survival, but also sad. A lone lion, one of the noblest of wild animals, managing to cross multiple freeways in one of the busiest cities in the US, (with probably the worst drivers), and stumbling into a massive city park where all the hipsters and tourists like to hike, and take Instagram photos. The true story is a great representation of the fact that humans take up too much space and nature is struggling to adapt - and also, humans, in general, don’t care. LA is still dealing with this, since we have mountains everywhere - there was just a viral instance of a coyote surviving on the streets for a year after being shot in the face by someone. And in our own neighborhood there was a bear struggling with an arrow sticking out of it. At some point, people stopped seeing it. It probably finally died. In a way, I hope it did, so it no longer had to suffer.

When P-22 was around (before succumbing to injuries after being hit by a car), someone ran a social media account for him, as if it was his own account. Whoever ran it, had a great sense of humor - and it just added to appreciation for this lonely guy who somehow got trapped in Hollywood.

Anyway, the book IS fiction - but just had to comment on the obvious inspiration with the backstory. It captured the issue so well. At times, the book crossed over into the absurd - but it still captured the reality of the situation so well. The more absurd, the more realistic it seemed. Turning it into fiction, it could be hilarious - but also, incredibly tragic.

I read it in one sitting, and in that time, I laughed, and I cried. Since it was so short, I am looking forward to reading it again!

I just finished re-reading this, and the second time was even more impactful than the first time.

I notice that when I look at reviews for North Woods, people either give it 5 stars, or 2 stars and a DNF, with not much in-between.

The first time I read it, I remember it was slow to start, and I was thrown off by the stories jumping through time, and figuring out who these new people were to each section - it takes a minute to adapt and “get it,” since the format is not traditional. Then once I realized the author’s style, I loved it. Also, then once you pay attention, you realize the stories are all very much connected, and tie in with each other in the cleverest, subtlest ways. It’s not obvious, and that is what I like about it.

This is the story of a piece of land, and a cabin, that evolves and deteriorates and evolves and deteriorates, through time. (Four centuries to be exact). The land is the main character - the people are there to help tell the story of the land, not vice versa. People come there to escape, to find their paradise. Through time, an apple orchard grows, and the apples become significant to the story. Of course, it seems like it is not a stretch that the author is tying in the idea of Paradise and the Apple, and the human quest for happiness, and in more recent times, a return to nature. Not to reveal too much, but most of the time, (maybe all the time?) the people fail.

The stories are not cut and dry, so that probably throws a lot of people off. I love the fact that not everything is drawn out and obvious. It is like, you get to be the historian, or the detective, researching the archives, and finding the history of the house, and the land - but not all at once, you have to put the pieces together. You think one story is done and complete, but even several stories later, a reference will pop up referring to something in the past, and you are like a junior detective - “Aha! That’s what happened!” So, in that sense, you do have to pay attention. And yes, I admit, reading it a second time, I enjoyed it even more - finding more bits and pieces to the puzzle that I missed the first time. But that isn’t to say, I didn’t love it the first time, too!

Another aspect of this book is the metaphysical realm. Yes, there are ghosts in this book. I am someone that loves a good ghost story, but I’m also fussy about it - ghost stories can become silly. I love the telling of the ghosts in North Woods. They are so real to me, and so believable. They also help unfold more stories from the past, as the book moves forward in time.

Anyway, this is one of my all time favorite books. It isn’t a quick, easy read, and that’s okay!