The Library Vault

North Woods By Daniel Mason

Winter has thawed and the warmth of spring has bloomed. The robin sings its melody while the sunrise glistens on the morning dew. The breeze rustles through the windows and the curtains dance to the tune of a new day. The trees are budding a fluorescent green and mother earth is breaking barriers to transform a once unearthed landscape to a bustling microcosm. These mornings are familiar and resonate a distant memory of a seasons past. Daniel Mason’s novel North Woods reacquaints us with a familiar sentiment. The novel takes place in a cabin that resides in the cruck of the forest in New England, where the seasons change like the characters who inhabit the place. The reader travels through time and an account of magical realism that will invoke a comfort of home. 

The forest floor crackles beneath, each step unveiling a piece of history unknown from the written world. It unearths the ghosts of creatures past through their own story and the secrets that lie within. Mason’s novel is for all readers, but being a New Englander, it touches a special place in my heart. The novel begins with a young couple fleeing their Puritan colony to a new abode in the woods that is home to all creatures. Mason is a storyteller who strategically tells each tale interwoven with the environment that surrounds them. 

The foundation has been made by the young couple and transcends to an English solider who later devotes his life to growing apples. These apples begin telling their own story with the pair of maiden sisters who navigate the world through all obstacles, until the final one is presented. Their story continues to live on while the other human and nonhuman creatures inhabit this piece of land in the woods. A potter’s field is discovered by a crime reporter, a painter, a conman, and even a beetle nestles into this abode. Surrounded by the wood, these characters journey through the humbleness of nature to reveal how environment and history are their own tale ready to be told. Mason’s novel is funny, full of hope, and leaves the reading questioning. Is our mark on one place ingrained? Does our mark on this earth live on? Well the best way to answer those questions is reading Daniel Mason’s novel with an aperitif in hand.

Wine could very well be paired with Daniel Mason’s North Woods; however, it just did not feel right. The story of apples and the importance of apples are characters within themselves. I pondered if a cider would be sufficient for the pairing; however, the austerity of his writing and poetic concept drove me in a different direction. Summer will be here by the time you are reading this, and a delicious apple aperitif will be the refreshing way to smooth over that transition from a wet rainy spring to a hopeful warm and sunny New England summer. 

The apple aperitif is from a distiller called Neversink Spirits. Neversink is out of Elmsford, NY; but close enough to the Connecticut border that it can be considered part of New England. The Apple Aperitif is made from Neversink’s brandy that has been aged in whiskey barrels and blended with unfermented heirloom apple cider. The notes of fresh apples is immediate, from nose to the taste. It is a bright and endearing product. The hue is the warmth of butterscotch and leaves a nutty aftertaste to soothe out the flavors. Neversink’s aperitif can also be served neat or on the rocks, whatever your preference. However, if you want to spice it up a little, below is a fun spritzer to drink while reading Mason’s novel. Summer cocktails are always about spritzers; they are light, refreshing and fun! Enjoy!

Neversink Apple Aperitif Spritz
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Neversink Apple Aperitif
1.5 Elderflower Liqueur
3 oz. Brut Champagne or sparkling wine
Ice
Apple slice for garnish 

Instructions: 
Fill the glass with ice
Add the Neversink Apple Aperitif and elderflower liqueur
Top with sparkling wine 
Stir and garnish