Reading Discussion Guide #6
North Woods by Daniel Mason
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In honor of its paperback release and the welcoming of crisp October weather this week, there’s no better time to highlight North Woods by Daniel Mason. In this, we follow generations of residents in a simple house in the remote New England woods. Equally atmospheric and interesting, what I most appreciated about the novel was its cleverness—seldom does Mason blatantly explain things, allowing the opportunity for us readers to put pieces together ourselves.
Now a backlist title as it was originally published last September, this—shockingly—eluded being honored on major literary awards lists (is it the brother to Tom Lake?), but it was recognized as one of The 10 Best Books of 2023 by The New York Times. Technically, that makes it the Top 5 best fiction novels since their Top 10 list is equally split between fiction and nonfiction titles.
Grab a cup of hot apple cider (there’s a recipe in the official Book Club Kit), put on a flannel, and queue up Noah Kahan—this is the perfect book for fall.
Side note, this Discussion Guide is short, sweet, and to-the-point.
‼️ This is your warning now to save this post and come back to it later if you want to avoid any spoilers. And please look up Content Warnings on The StoryGraph.
Synopses
When two young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to growing apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths an ancient mass grave—only to discover that the earth refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a sinister con man, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As the inhabitants confront the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive.
This magisterial and highly inventive novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason brims with love and madness, humor and hope. Following the cycles of history, nature, and even language, North Woods shows the myriad, magical ways in which we're connected to our environment, to history, and to one another. It is not just an unforgettable novel about secrets and destinies, but a way of looking at the world that asks the timeless question: How do we live on, even after we're gone?
Discussion Guide
The questions and Book Club Kit from the publisher can be found, here.
1. Which era of the yellow house would you most like to visit?
While I think the obvious answer would be to see the apple orchards in their prime, rather than seeing one particular time, I think I’d want to see the house in the very beginning with the Puritan couple, and then again at the end to see how drastic its juxtaposition really is. Or maybe even a time-lapse to see it’s full evolution.
2. Which of its residents (permanent or temporary) would you have liked to spend more time with?
I definitely wanted more time with the modern, 21st century residents as it felt like the house changed more in the last 15%, than at any other time in the novel. I know the whole timeline of the novel can be considered short (~200 years is but a blip in Earth’s history), but all of a sudden we had the ‘3 bd 2 ba’ chapter, and then the book was basically over. I know it’s a story that could technically never end, but I’m being greedy and would have appreciated an extra chapter or two.
3. Novels often follow the same characters through different settings; North Woods follows the same setting through different characters. What was this reading experience like for you?
I absolutely loved this reading experience, finding it wholly engaging, immersive, and creative. I am someone who loves interconnected stories with a larger cast, so the twist on that typical narrative was welcome. I didn’t want to put the novel down, and it left a lasting impression of being mindful of the lives that were lived in the same spaces you now occupy. Past voices so often get lost.
4. For some characters, the yellow house is a place of refuge and inspiration, for others, an isolated site of captivity. Discuss how the house and its remoteness affected its residents.
This question kind of answers itself, as everyone had different lived experiences, so they were intrinsically at different points in their lives when they came to the house. It ultimately served as a tool to exacerbated the traits they already maintained—Mary’s jealousy was dialed up, the seance seemed spookier, Robert could wander and be even more distant , not just emotionally, but physically, too.
5. Daniel Mason employs myriad points of view, writing styles, and genres to tell this story across the centuries. How did these shifting voices affect the narrative?
Circling back to Q3, it created a captivating a narrative that you didn’t want to put down and at times it didn’t even feel like fiction. I do think with the creative measures taken, such as playing with magical realism and supernatural elements, it provided even more depth into the lives, perspectives, struggles, and motivations of these residents. I absolutely loved how the audiobook was performed by an entire cast and don’t think it should have, or could have, been performed any other way.
6. What is the significance of the catamount?
I’m not sure if this is the ‘right’ answer, and maybe I’m missing some deeper meaning, but the catamount felt like a lurking representative of Death, or maybe even ‘change’ in general. It felt representative of the forces of nature and even of the woods themselves. As much as we want to establish residence, nature will always prevail and provide its own warnings to disrupting the balance (now in more serious ways like climate change).
7. The best and worst of human behaviors and experiences are on display in North Woods: love, murder, betrayal, yearning, generosity, madness, envy. What did you make of this?
Even when isolated in the woods, you can’t escape the range of humanity, or lack thereof. Every emotion had the space to be on full display.
8. What role do the ghosts play throughout the novel? Does this role change? Discuss.
Oh absolutely, the roles of the ghosts changed depending on whose spirit remained in the house, their relationship to the following residents, and what circumstances take place to warrant any kind of contact they choose/chose. Ultimately, I think the ghosts represent the feeling of not wanting to be forgotten, and that stories don’t always have to end with death.
9. How does Mason bring the local flora and fauna into the novel? What did you make of beetles and spores and seeds sharing the stage with human characters?
Not only is nature used to establish a place and create an atmospheric scene for the woods in which the house resides, but I think it serves as a climate change warning and how we can’t forget that Earth is the stage nature shares with us. By giving points of view to plants and creatures, nature was personified and we were able to consider their roles in change, our effects on our surroundings, and how we need to coexist better in a way that isn’t so human-centered.
10. Who do you imagine the first residents of your home were? Who do you imagine will come after you?
Granted, I live in a newer apartment building so I don’t think of this concept with my own current physical residence, but I do think of this concept as a whole in other spaces I occupy—what did this neighborhood used to look like, what secrets to the wall of this house or that house hold, what rooms have seen what events, etc.
In Summation
I gave this novel five out of five stars. I will concede that situations and relationships got confusing enough to warrant rewinding a few times while listening to the audiobook, but that didn’t hinder my reading experience or enjoyment of the story. I will be buying the paperback as I do want to annotate it and revisit these characters often. It’s definitely a book that will get better with every re-read.
If you read this novel, what did you think? What did you rate it? Are there any details from these questions missed? Would love to know!
ICYMI
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