Synopsis:
You can look for danger. And danger can look for you.
The seethe of wind through trees culled him hollow with loneliness. Against the immensity of the mountains, against the unforgiving chill of the air, he felt keenly his smallness, his vulnerability, how easy it would be for something to lift him into its jaws and vanish him.
At 12 years old, Zach admires his father almost as much as he fears him. When Bram takes him on a father-son business ski trip, with a group of other men and their boys, Zach feels braver – his mother taught him the ways of the mountain, and the hushed whiteness will quieten Bram’s complaints, his obvious disapproval.
Then on the first night, Zach sees something moving in the snow. He’s convinced there’s a monster on the mountain, but there are other dangers that await them…
Review:
A new favourite thriller author?
I prefer my books to be character-driven which is normally lacking in thrillers which relies on twists and unreliability.
This is a book about mothers and children, fathers and children. It is about staying safe and looking out for the warning signs: out in the wild in avalanches and in unstable family dynamics.
I love when books make the people scarier than the monster.
By having a tense present timeline with these loving flashbacks told from a twelve-year old’s point of view and occasionally the mother’s, you get to see the creeping danger.
Whilst the plot direction and reveals are obvious, I enjoyed seeing the journey and experiencing the writing.
I normally view thrillers as popcorn reads, especially due to their shortness. This one had such poignant moments and reflections. The descriptions of nature were beautiful and sublime.
The seethe of wind through trees culled him hollow with loneliness. Against the immensity of the mountains, against the unforgiving chill of the air, he felt keenly his smallness, his vulnerability, how easy it would be for something to lift him into its jaws and vanish him.
One thing that slowed the pacing down was my disinterest in all the technical details about skiing and avalanches. I guess if you have experience, you might find it more interesting. As someone who has no clue about skiing and the most snow I have seen is a UK Winter, I did find myself skimming at the info dumps.
If you liked When the Wolf Coms Home by Nat Cassidy, I think you might enjoy this.
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