Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer
Pages: 333 Rating: ★★★★☆
Jon Krakauer, approaching the base of the world’s highest peak can’t help but anticipate the journey and adventure of ascending Everest, but little does he know that the decisions that he and his expedition have made, and will make, are pushing them closer and closer to tragedy, a tragedy that was inevitable. Into Thin Air details how arrogance in the face of nature, the hope for fame and publicity, and the selfishness of many 1996 climbing expeditions led to Everest’s deadliest climbing season to date.
Although unfortunate, Jon Krakauer’s ability to walk the audience through the 1996 climbing season with such descriptiveness provides the reader with a plot so deep, that the audience feels as though they are walking alongside Jon on his journey summiting Everest. Very few authors harness the ability to envelop their audience in a story the way Jon Krakauer did and very few live through events so traumatizing, giving Jon Krakauer the ability to do some justice to those who lost their lives climbing Everest in 1996.
Jon Krakauer's style of retelling these events by combining background information, climbing jargon, hindsight, and characters that transcend the story provides a riveting and emotional journey to the audience. This book leaves its audience pondering over many pivotal points in the story, such as the passing of dead bodies from previously failed expeditions and the many dangerous situations created by guiding inexperienced and incapable climbers up the world’s tallest peak.
Overall, this book was well worth the time spent reading it. I am hesitant to say that people who haven't read this book will enjoy it because they likely won’t. This story does not have a happy ending where all of the characters find peace in the end. However, this story is not meant to do this. A person who enjoys adventure, mountaineering, gut-twisting books, and brilliantly told stories about historical tragedies will find this book worth reading. This story is not made great by its ending but by the way Jon Krakauer takes his audience all the way to tragedy and back in an exhilarating nature.
This sounds like an interesting book especially since there isn't the happy ending people are used to reading about. What kind of language did Krakauer use to make it feel like the audience was with him as he ascended Everest?
ReplyDeleteVery intriguing, I would love to read this book. I like bleak and depressing literature, so this is something i'll likely enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI read Into the WIld, by Jon Krakauer, and I would like to also read this one. It's interesting how most of his stories don't have happy endings.
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