Possibly book-review-purists would claim that personal context shouldn’t shape your thoughts about a book – where you are, how you feel etc etc shouldn’t influence a review.
I beg to differ.
Where I am, how I’m feeling, do have an impact, so since I’m currently recovering from a strenuous mountaineering expedition in the Indian Himalayas (meaning I’m lolling about, not doing much apart from reading and snoozing…) a kind Kindle suggestion that I might like a book called “The Hike” appealed.
With a title like that, bviously it did.
This hike was nothing like mine, thank the good Lord above, because the ever-increasing build-up of tension and foreboding in this book is all-pervasive and very gripping.
A group of women, friends since school days, go on one of their regular girl’s trip. Usually their holidays are beach and pool and cocktail focused, but this time round, it’s Liz’s turn to choose the destination, and she opts for something completely different. A hike in Norway.
I enjoyed the book…you can sense there’s a “but” coming, can’t you?
So here it is.
As I say, I enjoyed the book, but the idea that 4 women who are not hikers or trekkers would launch themselves into an avowedly difficult climb, in bad weather, is a little bit hard to swallow. But it is on this very premise that the whole story rests, so we have to accept it.
They haven’t ever camped, they don’t have the right equipment…you take my point.
The first half of the book, with all the scene-setting, is perhaps a tad long-winded and too detailed but once the women are in the hills, battling that bad weather they ignored, the pace picks up, and events follow thick and fast.
Expect a lot of drama, and tension, and suspense. And lots of mud and blisters. And affection, and re-assessment of old friendships and relationships.
A good read.
But boy oh boy, “The Hike” sure put my recent climb in context. I might well have gone higher than these gals altitude-wise, but whew, thank goodness, I had none of the drama and tension they had!