A tale of tragedy

In 1996 a number of climbers died on Mount Everest. The journalist Jon Krakauer was part of the expedition and part of the events. Into Thin Air is his story of the expedition, what happened and why he thinks that so much went wrong. It is also an appeal for understanding because the author made a mistake on the mountain that probably resulted in the death of another climber.

This is a very informative account of not just the tragic events of 1996 but of Mount Everest itself. We learn exactly where it is, who first measured it as the tallest peak in the world and a timeline of those who attempted and succeeded in conquering it. There are many supporting facts, figures and stories of other people’s expeditions on Everest, each relevant to setting the scene for the attempt of 1996.
The technicalities of mountaineering are well explained and I easily understood them although I am completely without climbing experience. The author is also good at explaining the economics of climbing the mountain and how that affected the relationship between the leaders of the various expeditions and those who had paid a lot of money to get to the top.

The book’s biggest strength is in providing an account of what life is really like for those who spend weeks on end surrounded by ice and snow where every action is difficult and who often struggle to breathe in the atmosphere. The author describes their daily challenges perfectly and shows very clearly the sometimes invisible line between life and death and how easily you can slip from one to another – sometimes literally.

Readers will have to decide for themselves whether the author accurately and honestly has produced a true and fair account of the whole event. He directly addresses this issue himself and is open about those who didn’t want him to write the story or who disagree with his version of events. The book is, in part, an appeal for understanding and forgiveness for what happened and his role in the events.

The story is gripping and the writing is excellent. This is an exceptional book and definitely worth reading even if you have no interest in mountaineering.

I also recommend two other non-fictions books by this author – Under the Banner of Heaven about Mormonism and polygamy (see my review here) and Into the Wild about the death of a young man in the wilderness of Alaska (see review here).