I had a hard time connecting to the main character, Stephen Pearce.

It gave the story a feeling of directionlessness and confusion. In the bulk of it, climbing the mountain, there was very little allusion to the mystery/creepy part of the story. I can't figure out why it was written this way. Thin Air is 90% about climbing a mountain, 5% mystery, and 5% creepy stuff. This seems to be a theme for me: I keep reading very short books that somehow should have been even shorter. And this book was fine but it was not great. The last expedition ended in tragedy, mystery, and falsehoods. The climax occurred quite unexpectedly and didn’t focus on the character I thought was most affected by the journey.įive men set off on an expedition to climb Kangchenjunga, the deadliest peak in the world. Of its time, the attitudes shown by the English travellers were nothing to be proud of. It’s hard not to be captivated by the exhilaration of the climb and the descriptions of the journey. The superstitions held by the local climbers play a large part in this book, and we are never certain whether the group are indeed haunted by something lurking in this dangerous wilderness or whether we are watching the gradual deterioration of men pushed to their physical limits. She captures the beauty and menace of the mountains, showing us how easy it can be for someone to succumb to fears in the face of their own humanity. I’ve never been anywhere this high or remote, but Paver brings the experience to vivid life for us. Following in the ill-fated footsteps of an earlier party, we journey with the group as they travel to the foothills of the mountain and then attempt their challenge. Thin Air is told through the eyes of Stephen Pearce, the late addition to an expedition to try and be the first party to climb Kangchenjunga in 1935. Grimly atmospheric, haunting and deeply unsettling.

Thin air by michelle paver