Above All Things

by Tanis Rideout

“Tell me the story of Everest,” she said, a fervent smile sweeping across her face, creasing the corners of her eyes. “Tell me about this mountain that’s stealing you away from me.”
In 1924 George Mallory departs on his third expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Left behind in Cambridge, George’s young wife, Ruth, along with the rest of a war-ravaged England, anticipates news they hope will reclaim some of the empire’s faded glory. Through alternating narratives, what emerges is a beautifully rendered story of love torn apart by obsession and the need for redemption (cover image and synopsis from Netgalley)

 

 

My Thoughts

What an amazing book. I loved the way the author decided to present the story. We follow George on his fatal attempt to summit Mt. Everest in 1924. We follow Ruth during one day as she waits to hear of her husbands success or failure. But, as we are reading about the expedition, George’s thoughts frequently turn to Ruth - how they met, time spent together and past conversations. The same happens with Ruth. We see her go about this one day, but get to read her thoughts about George. How she views their marriage, how she struggles with being married to an explorer and her hopes for their future together.

It’s through this process that we really get to know George and Ruth and makes the story come alive. Because of the author’s ability to write so vividly, I often felt like I was on Everest with the climbing team. My heart ached for Ruth because I knew the outcome of the climb and while we are with her, she does not.

This is Ms. Rideout’s first novel and I thought she did a fantastic job.

 

Many, many thanks to Penguin Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

USA Publication date: February 12, 2013.