North Woods (2023) is the first work of fiction I’ve read by author Daniel Mason. It won’t be the last. Vivid, compelling, and historically resonant, this collection of interlinked stories, or this novel, if you prefer, revolves around a particular dwelling built in northwestern Massachusetts during the early years of the colonial era.
The opening chapter, in which two rebellious pilgrims flee the oppressive constraints of their settlement in order to gain the freedom and independence that might be afforded by a home of their own, sets the stage for the radical changes to come. Years become decades, decades become two and a half centuries, and all the while, the wooded landscape and the humble house, along with their natural and human inhabitants, face fascinating challenges. Impacted by personal choices made, passion and impulse, and cultural and social changes, the place and its people are transformed.
Daniel Mason weaves humor and pathos into these tales. There is a gothic quality to the book as well, with ghosts making occasional appearances. But beyond the quality of the prose and the variations in situation and tone, what impacted me most about North Woods was Mason’s rich development of character and setting. Human nature and the natural world are memorably revealed in a book that I plan on reading again.