Commentary/review

I admit I have not read many mountaineering books yet but this I will remember as the one that is capable of taking the reader along the climb to Mount Everest.

I always thought that using inspiring quotes appearing frequently in a book was a risky move, usually seeming rather cliché. In this book, the quotes did not annoy, nor did they seem forced. I suspect that the Author really collected and recollected his quotes almost every day. The fact that the Author is reading his own book could have made a difference here. There is also the question of attitude; perhaps holding one’s ego in check is beneficial for the narrative.

I also thought that suddenly switching from serious inspirational tone to jokes about bodily functions is usually a risky move. Here, this shift suddenly made the story sound real. That may be because the Author, very often staying too much inside his head, was aware that he struggled with reality. Bringing this weakness to a somewhat comical extent, he built a powerful transition. This made the contrast look like a literary technique rather than too much frankness combined with pure chance.

I do not know how the Author achieved this but this memoir is very strong in the spacial aspect. The reader is invited to become aware of the narrator’s relative position in space, of the colors around him and of the areas of impossibility and danger that produce an aesthetic effect for the viewer. Walking with gratitude in one’s heart and a humble disposition towards the enormity of the mountain appears to be a better foundation for writing diaries than, for example, being disappointed that, once conquered, Everest was no longer a challenge.

This is a really good book and a perfect audiobook production.

A perfect cover, showing a climber from the back, as the memoir is very personal and concentrated on inner journey.

Cover Photo by Martin Jernberg on Unsplash