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The Northwoods Chronicles: A Novel in Stories
Presents stories of the citizens of Vargas County, a place where children under the age of twelve routinely disappear.
259 pages, Hardcover
First published August 20, 2008
4 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Engstrom
65 books451 followersElizabeth (Liz) Engstrom grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois (a Chicago suburb where she lived with her father) and Kaysville, Utah (north of Salt Lake City, where she lived with her mother). After graduating from high school in Illinois, she ventured west in a serious search for acceptable weather, eventually settling in Honolulu. She attended college and worked as an advertising copywriter.
After eight years on Oahu, she moved to Maui, found a business partner and opened an advertising agency. One husband, two children and five years later, she sold the agency to her partner and had enough seed money to try her hand at full time fiction writing, her lifelong dream. With the help of her mentor, science fiction great Theodore Sturgeon, When Darkness Loves Us was published.
Engstrom moved to Oregon in 1986, where she lives with her husband Al Cratty, the legendary muskie fisherman. She holds a BA in English Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing, a Master’s in Applied Theology, and a Certificate of Pastoral Care and Ministry, all from Marylhurst University. An introvert at heart, she still emerges into public occasionally to teach a class in novel or short story writing, or to speak at a writer’s convention or conference.
After eight years on Oahu, she moved to Maui, found a business partner and opened an advertising agency. One husband, two children and five years later, she sold the agency to her partner and had enough seed money to try her hand at full time fiction writing, her lifelong dream. With the help of her mentor, science fiction great Theodore Sturgeon, When Darkness Loves Us was published.
Engstrom moved to Oregon in 1986, where she lives with her husband Al Cratty, the legendary muskie fisherman. She holds a BA in English Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing, a Master’s in Applied Theology, and a Certificate of Pastoral Care and Ministry, all from Marylhurst University. An introvert at heart, she still emerges into public occasionally to teach a class in novel or short story writing, or to speak at a writer’s convention or conference.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 10, 2010
This collection of twenty short stories centers on a town called White Pine Junction which is in Northwoods. Each is a little off kilter and interesting. It was a hard collection to put down
None of the stories are particularly deep, none plumb the depths of the human condition. Instead they traipse around an idea, an occurrence, a landmark—and deliver a witty tale of surreality. Each seems to hint at some otherness to the area these people live in.
At the beginning of it all, children disappear. One, Micah, disappears right in front of a parent. Boom, gone. I kept waiting for some explanation in one of the other stories and never got it. That was a bummer. But the other bizzaro things that happen seem to make up for that missing piece. Not all the pieces of the puzzle are included in this box. Some are left for the reader to fashion on their own. Though I wish there was more about the kids.
I think my favorite was the one titled 'Skytouch Fever' in which I was led to believe a particular thing was going to happen. Instead, the last few lines deliver a surreal gut punch that no one could see coming.
Elizabeth gives the reader enough to see the larger story. She is great at the short story format of story telling. That she has assembled this many stories of a particular area of weirdness is pretty cool. It is not a novel; though it claims to be a 'novel in stories' on the front cover. Do not be fooled into expecting a novel. Together, these stories chronicle some oddities of the Northwoods.
I'm at a loss as to what genre this book falls into. It's not horror, though there are some horror elements included. It's not Sci-fi, unless you think the kids were abducted by UFOs. It is sort of surrealist story telling, and it is done quite well.
None of the stories are particularly deep, none plumb the depths of the human condition. Instead they traipse around an idea, an occurrence, a landmark—and deliver a witty tale of surreality. Each seems to hint at some otherness to the area these people live in.
At the beginning of it all, children disappear. One, Micah, disappears right in front of a parent. Boom, gone. I kept waiting for some explanation in one of the other stories and never got it. That was a bummer. But the other bizzaro things that happen seem to make up for that missing piece. Not all the pieces of the puzzle are included in this box. Some are left for the reader to fashion on their own. Though I wish there was more about the kids.
I think my favorite was the one titled 'Skytouch Fever' in which I was led to believe a particular thing was going to happen. Instead, the last few lines deliver a surreal gut punch that no one could see coming.
Elizabeth gives the reader enough to see the larger story. She is great at the short story format of story telling. That she has assembled this many stories of a particular area of weirdness is pretty cool. It is not a novel; though it claims to be a 'novel in stories' on the front cover. Do not be fooled into expecting a novel. Together, these stories chronicle some oddities of the Northwoods.
I'm at a loss as to what genre this book falls into. It's not horror, though there are some horror elements included. It's not Sci-fi, unless you think the kids were abducted by UFOs. It is sort of surrealist story telling, and it is done quite well.
October 11, 2011
Each story was captivating and the characters were well written. The interwoven plot lines and the character connections made each story unique but not inseparable from the others. Also the mystery and strange happenings to each family/individual really kept the book moving along.
Engstrom also managed to capture the feel of a small town well (it's eerily similar to my town, though without the intrigue).
I found that there were many life lessons to be found throughout. Love, life, death, aging, and so many more everyday worries are addressed. Engstrom addressed each one with poise and made me feel as though she was looking into my heart and mind.
The stories where the loose ends got tied up were wonderful (Sadie's transformation, Fred's heart attack, Muffy's wax museum adventure, Luann and her husband turned tree/death). The non-recurring characters were my favorites, if for no other reason than their stories were the ones with a conclusion.
That being said, my only complaint is that the end of the disappearing children plot line left me unsettled and unsatisfied. I am not fan of open endings and there were far too many unanswered questions (where were the children really going? What was going on with Wolver and what exactly was his purpose (other than helping to bring more children into the town)? And why did he become more animal than man in order to cause the dreams? Why did Kevin have a bad feeling when he climbed into the limo and why did they "need" him to go with the children? Among quite a few others.) I want to know more of the mysteries behind White Pines Junction and I feel at a loss because I will never get to know more.
Overall, I would say give this a read. Appreciate each story and how the lives of the characters have been built, but prepare yourself for some unanswered questions.
Engstrom also managed to capture the feel of a small town well (it's eerily similar to my town, though without the intrigue).
I found that there were many life lessons to be found throughout. Love, life, death, aging, and so many more everyday worries are addressed. Engstrom addressed each one with poise and made me feel as though she was looking into my heart and mind.
The stories where the loose ends got tied up were wonderful (Sadie's transformation, Fred's heart attack, Muffy's wax museum adventure, Luann and her husband turned tree/death). The non-recurring characters were my favorites, if for no other reason than their stories were the ones with a conclusion.
That being said, my only complaint is that the end of the disappearing children plot line left me unsettled and unsatisfied. I am not fan of open endings and there were far too many unanswered questions (where were the children really going? What was going on with Wolver and what exactly was his purpose (other than helping to bring more children into the town)? And why did he become more animal than man in order to cause the dreams? Why did Kevin have a bad feeling when he climbed into the limo and why did they "need" him to go with the children? Among quite a few others.) I want to know more of the mysteries behind White Pines Junction and I feel at a loss because I will never get to know more.
Overall, I would say give this a read. Appreciate each story and how the lives of the characters have been built, but prepare yourself for some unanswered questions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2009
A collection of short stories about White Pines - a small town that relies on summer tourism and fishing for its livelihood, and whose pines and lakes are hiding a few tales.
The stories are evocative, a little off kilter and very engaging. In the first one, you discover that a child under 12 is taken every year--just vanishes--and and no one in the town knows where they go or why. In one of my favourites, a woman fights her attraction to a rich man who comes to fish every year, knowing that it would kill her wonderful, down-to-earth husband back home.
In another, a woman wants to leave or get rid of her awful husband, and the house tells her how to do it.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit and will probably check out some of Engstrom's other stuff.
The stories are evocative, a little off kilter and very engaging. In the first one, you discover that a child under 12 is taken every year--just vanishes--and and no one in the town knows where they go or why. In one of my favourites, a woman fights her attraction to a rich man who comes to fish every year, knowing that it would kill her wonderful, down-to-earth husband back home.
In another, a woman wants to leave or get rid of her awful husband, and the house tells her how to do it.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit and will probably check out some of Engstrom's other stuff.
March 2, 2019
3.5 stars - "A novel in stories"
The stories are loosely connected in that they feature some of the same characters and occur in the same fictional small town where strange things happen. Some of the stories are strong, others seem more like they are there only to create connections between story lines and characters. One story completely perplexed me. In retrospect, perhaps that's good since it compelled me to think about it. The biggest problem I had was really the lack of cohesiveness. Strange things happen in this town - children disappear is a running theme - but some of the strange things just seemed random. Two serial killers (or was it three? I forget) in one small town? Plus, a couple random one-off murders. Damn. Few of these murders have any relation to anything else going on. I just didn't get it.
The stories are loosely connected in that they feature some of the same characters and occur in the same fictional small town where strange things happen. Some of the stories are strong, others seem more like they are there only to create connections between story lines and characters. One story completely perplexed me. In retrospect, perhaps that's good since it compelled me to think about it. The biggest problem I had was really the lack of cohesiveness. Strange things happen in this town - children disappear is a running theme - but some of the strange things just seemed random. Two serial killers (or was it three? I forget) in one small town? Plus, a couple random one-off murders. Damn. Few of these murders have any relation to anything else going on. I just didn't get it.
October 5, 2019
Since reading about Elizabeth Engstrom's early horror fiction in Paperbacks From Hell, I was eager to find something by her, but the only title available at our library was The Northwoods Chronicles. I enjoyed every tale (or chapter, if you prefer) and started to feel friendship for a few of her characters by the end.
I would not classify this novel as horror, but it definitely qualifies as "weird fiction". Although there is something supernatural going on in the small town, the people living there are believable and realistic. I hope to locate more of her books in the near future.
I would not classify this novel as horror, but it definitely qualifies as "weird fiction". Although there is something supernatural going on in the small town, the people living there are believable and realistic. I hope to locate more of her books in the near future.
July 25, 2023
This book had such potential, but I felt disappointed after finishing it. The idea was interesting, and it kind of had a "Castle Rock" vibe to it which initially kept me reading. But, after a while, there were too many characters introduced, and I had to spend too much time trying to remember who was who and what had previously happened to the characters. And sometimes the stories just kind of tapered off to let you figure out what maybe could have happened which left me unsatisfied with the whole reading experience by the time that I finished.
November 18, 2020
I loved this odd little book. Engstrom is never predictable and all the books I have read from her so far have been hard to categorize which I love. Intertwining tales make up this strange Twin Peaks like town and you get to know the residents strange tales as you go. I did not want it to end and will likely read it again.
August 14, 2023
This isn't a bad book. It's well written and some of the stories are really good. I have trouble seeing it as "A Novel in Stories." Everything just feels disconnected and I had a hard time untangling all of the threads from all of the stories. There are creepy-pastas that I think have better subject matter and are more engaging.
April 6, 2021
I really liked how all of the short stories intertwined and provided a bigger picture of the strange setting of White Pines. Several stories had a surreal/weird vibe to them I really enjoy, but a few of them were more grounded and straight forward which helped break things up and give some variety.
Read
February 25, 2017Actually read twice. Don't do that much.
February 20, 2021
Not as beautifully written as When Darkness Loves Us but just as weird. Using a short story format for a novel is risky but it panned out.
December 27, 2024
Loved it. Such interesting and engaging stories that slowly reveal the strange deal the habitants have made by living in the Northwoods.
December 21, 2008
The Northwoods Chronicles by Elizabeth Engstrom
Author website: http://www.elizabethengstrom.com
Genre: Horror fiction
Grade: C+
Very short plot summary: Little kids keep being abducted at a predictable rate in the northern lake resort town of White Pines Junction. Everyone in White Pines has uncanny success at whatever he/she chooses to do, but the price of success is the sacrifice of the children to the unknown force abducting them.
I'm about 7/8 through this book at the current moment. It's a novel written as a collection of short stories, different character vignettes that all fit into a larger puzzle.
When a horror novel is easy to put down and walk away from, it's sad. Because the character portraits are so brief (the short story style prevents any major dwelling on individual characters) I did not find myself attached or interested in their motives. Though the town of White Pines Junction, a fishing and tourist village apparently somewhere on the East Coast, is lovingly depicted, we never get more than an impressionistic glimpse of the individuals who live there. There's an old guy named Bun who babysits his neighbor's kid one night and the kid, Micah, is snatched from his arms by the space aliens (a.k.a. mystery force abducting children person). Boom, story over. Next. There's some gal named Babs who makes jam with cranberries and bananas who gets smoked by a serial killer hippie lady. Boom, story over, next. There's a Vietnam vet guy who lives in the woods who loses his lucky monkey jaw and cleans up his life. Heartwarming, but boom, story over, next. As much as it takes some decent writing chops to make such a challenging format even remotely interesting, I'm left feeling like there has to be more than this. I give Elizabeth Engstrom kudos for the unique format--some of the stories are very good--but it's not scary. I don't care that these people have all benefited or suffered because I don't care about the characters. A good horror novel makes you fall in love with one of the characters (at least) like Stephen King's Danny in The Shining. You LOVE that kid and don't want anything to happen to him. You know how he thinks. You wish you could take him home so he doesn't have to stay in that horrible hotel over the winter. You never get to know Micah in Northwoods Chronicles, all you know is that his mom is terribly broken up over his disappearance. Duh, of course she is. The overarching theme is the tale of the Pied Piper: the price of the town's prosperity is the abduction of its children. I'm an athiest and I don't subscribe to the whole "eye for an eye" thing in the first place, therefore my disbelief is hard to suspend.
As a study in minimalist writing, Northwoods Chronicles is a textbook of expertise in the craft. But that's also the problem, it has the passion and excitement of your average textbook.
Author website: http://www.elizabethengstrom.com
Genre: Horror fiction
Grade: C+
Very short plot summary: Little kids keep being abducted at a predictable rate in the northern lake resort town of White Pines Junction. Everyone in White Pines has uncanny success at whatever he/she chooses to do, but the price of success is the sacrifice of the children to the unknown force abducting them.
I'm about 7/8 through this book at the current moment. It's a novel written as a collection of short stories, different character vignettes that all fit into a larger puzzle.
When a horror novel is easy to put down and walk away from, it's sad. Because the character portraits are so brief (the short story style prevents any major dwelling on individual characters) I did not find myself attached or interested in their motives. Though the town of White Pines Junction, a fishing and tourist village apparently somewhere on the East Coast, is lovingly depicted, we never get more than an impressionistic glimpse of the individuals who live there. There's an old guy named Bun who babysits his neighbor's kid one night and the kid, Micah, is snatched from his arms by the space aliens (a.k.a. mystery force abducting children person). Boom, story over. Next. There's some gal named Babs who makes jam with cranberries and bananas who gets smoked by a serial killer hippie lady. Boom, story over, next. There's a Vietnam vet guy who lives in the woods who loses his lucky monkey jaw and cleans up his life. Heartwarming, but boom, story over, next. As much as it takes some decent writing chops to make such a challenging format even remotely interesting, I'm left feeling like there has to be more than this. I give Elizabeth Engstrom kudos for the unique format--some of the stories are very good--but it's not scary. I don't care that these people have all benefited or suffered because I don't care about the characters. A good horror novel makes you fall in love with one of the characters (at least) like Stephen King's Danny in The Shining. You LOVE that kid and don't want anything to happen to him. You know how he thinks. You wish you could take him home so he doesn't have to stay in that horrible hotel over the winter. You never get to know Micah in Northwoods Chronicles, all you know is that his mom is terribly broken up over his disappearance. Duh, of course she is. The overarching theme is the tale of the Pied Piper: the price of the town's prosperity is the abduction of its children. I'm an athiest and I don't subscribe to the whole "eye for an eye" thing in the first place, therefore my disbelief is hard to suspend.
As a study in minimalist writing, Northwoods Chronicles is a textbook of expertise in the craft. But that's also the problem, it has the passion and excitement of your average textbook.
August 21, 2024
The Northwood Chronicles is a book that offers short stories with the same characters intertwining from one story to the next. Everyone lives in White Pine Junction; a small town like a lot of other small towns.
White Pine Junction has a dress shop, a post office, a gas station, a diner, and quaint little houses. The town has a resort on the lake and a weekly newspaper; but all is not as it seems. White Pine Junction hides some terrifying secrets.
Children disappear without a trace. Paranoia runs rapid which leads to over-reacting and unbelievable decisions on part of the residents. Dreams come true and people commit murder in surprising and un-expecting matters. The only question is this - do you have control over your life, or is there something strange happening in White Pine Junction where the town controls you?
This book is cleverly written, offers in-depth descriptions, and intrigues the reader with a little bit of mystery and mayhem. The first and last chapter of the book brilliantly brings together and ties up the entire story. The Northwood Chronicles is a book that can keep you guessing and wondering what is happening to the residents of the town.
It was rather interesting to read a series of short stories that all connect to one another. I often find short story novels can take me some time to read. With the Northwood Chronicles it was almost like each chapter was a new book, but not quite. We continue to see what is happening with the various residents from unique perspectives of the other residents.
The author Elizabeth Engstrom grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois and Kaysville, Utah. After graduating from high school in Illinois, she moved to Honolulu where she attended college and worked as an advertising copywriter. After working in advertising for a number of years, she became a writer of fiction. Elizabeth has written many books including Lizzie Borden, When Darkness Loves us, and Black Ambrosia. I can’t wait to read another one of her novels.
White Pine Junction has a dress shop, a post office, a gas station, a diner, and quaint little houses. The town has a resort on the lake and a weekly newspaper; but all is not as it seems. White Pine Junction hides some terrifying secrets.
Children disappear without a trace. Paranoia runs rapid which leads to over-reacting and unbelievable decisions on part of the residents. Dreams come true and people commit murder in surprising and un-expecting matters. The only question is this - do you have control over your life, or is there something strange happening in White Pine Junction where the town controls you?
This book is cleverly written, offers in-depth descriptions, and intrigues the reader with a little bit of mystery and mayhem. The first and last chapter of the book brilliantly brings together and ties up the entire story. The Northwood Chronicles is a book that can keep you guessing and wondering what is happening to the residents of the town.
It was rather interesting to read a series of short stories that all connect to one another. I often find short story novels can take me some time to read. With the Northwood Chronicles it was almost like each chapter was a new book, but not quite. We continue to see what is happening with the various residents from unique perspectives of the other residents.
The author Elizabeth Engstrom grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois and Kaysville, Utah. After graduating from high school in Illinois, she moved to Honolulu where she attended college and worked as an advertising copywriter. After working in advertising for a number of years, she became a writer of fiction. Elizabeth has written many books including Lizzie Borden, When Darkness Loves us, and Black Ambrosia. I can’t wait to read another one of her novels.
January 13, 2010
This novel-in-stories opens with a haunting short story of acceptance of an inexplicable supernatural situation or pattern of occurrences. If you think you might like to read this book, read the first story and see if the writing doesn’t pull you right in. The narrator’s straight-forward voice and simple phrasing tell so much more than his mere words alone. With this story, the scene is well and truly set.
Each story is like another bizzarely shaped piece of a jigsaw puzzle, the final outcome of which is unknown, but all together the stories form the shape of the Northwoods region and its inhabitants. This collection provides a distinctive look/take on the Pacific Northwest as in the style of Magical-Realism, demonstrated in its best tradition by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The paranormal / inexplicable mixes with the everyday to create the extraordinary lives and stories of this collection.
February 15, 2011
This is an interwoven collection of stories about the folks living in a rural village in the Pacific Northwest, where very eerie things happen, and most of them aren't good. Like the town The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, this is a place where children disappear on a regular basis. No one knows where they go or why, but folks just sort of put up with it, because life is so good in the Northwoods.
Other creepy things happen as well - horrible dreams that come true, nasty killings, and other supernatural Bad Stuff - so it is rather hard to buy everyone's willingness to continue to live there. Life isn't THAT great - it's not like everyone is blessed. In fact, bad stuff happens to nearly everyone. But that mystery aside, this is a gripping and well-written page-turner. Although written for adults, older teens who like Ray Bradbury or even Koontz will enjoy this slim and atmospheric volume.
Other creepy things happen as well - horrible dreams that come true, nasty killings, and other supernatural Bad Stuff - so it is rather hard to buy everyone's willingness to continue to live there. Life isn't THAT great - it's not like everyone is blessed. In fact, bad stuff happens to nearly everyone. But that mystery aside, this is a gripping and well-written page-turner. Although written for adults, older teens who like Ray Bradbury or even Koontz will enjoy this slim and atmospheric volume.
January 5, 2009
Elizabeth Engstrom is a good friend of mine, and she is a wonderful writer. Spending hours with her is always worth the time both in print and in person. The Northwoods Chronicles took me into her dark woods for a little fishing and wondering about the hearts and actions of human beings. There, I watched as she wove together the warp and woof of a tapestry of lives that included the joys of love and the heartbreak of deepest losses. Always a moving experience to live with her people for a little while.
December 29, 2009
I love these stories! Beautifully written, each one is woven into a novel that explores the dark woods in more ways than one. There's so much to enjoy here, such a variety of real emotional and moral dilemmas, a great cast of offbeat and eccentric characters, and stories that just ring true, even in their most extraordinary moments. Engstrom's Northwoods is a place and a book I'll be revisiting. Highly recommended!
February 9, 2017
Wow. I stumbled across this when I was looking for short books to hit my 2008 goal. It's a series of short stories, really, from different characters in the same town where, every year, a child disappears. Just vanishes. In one case, right out of a man's arms. Weird things happen in the Northwoods area. It's like a less crass, more literary Stephen King story. I loved it.
November 6, 2009
Sometimes Engstrom's work is classified as "horror stories." Only if you're afraid of probing the human experience, only if the notion of surrealism frightens you. Her books are truly haunting because her writing is so memorable.
April 25, 2011
This book was not what I thought it was going to be. While it was interesting it was also strange and very unlike most books I usually read. This is not a terrible book but I would definitely not read it again.
December 3, 2008
Definitely different, a very weird book, but I still couldn't stop reading it. I think I was waiting for it to all come together, it didn't. :)
January 22, 2009
Not my usual genre of book, but it certainly held my attention. Very creepy (yet interesting) and I may have nightmares tonight.
December 26, 2009
I loved this book. It is made up of short stories in which the characters all weave together. Hard to put down.
November 15, 2009
good book. can't say I'd live in the northwoods, but... will read more of her books.
March 21, 2011
absolutely LOVED it!
April 6, 2017
I really want to like this book.. collection?.. more. But I just didn't. Some of the stories were a lot better than others, I definitely didn't find the quality consistent through the whole book. And this does not "make a novel". The stories all focus around 1 ton and the same large cast of characters and past events of the children disappearing, but that's it. And none of them end in any kind of resolution or lesson. I really wanted to see the whole book have an overarching lesson and resolution that only came together once you read all the stories, but I was disappointed. We still don't really know anything about the town or what was happening at all. And some stories were way more supernatural than others. I just wasn't very impressed. She's a good writer though I can see the skill, but the content just leaves you hanging. I just she's doing that on purpose but she took it a little too far for my taste.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews