Literature Review - Into Thin Air
Do you have an unquenchable thirst for adventure? Have you ever dreamed of scaling the highest peak? Of looking out across a barren, windswept range from the pinnacle of the world? Are you a mountaineering fanatic? OR, are you like me and couldn’t give less of a shit, but your roommate barged into your room on a Tuesday and dropped a book about Everest on your bed? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air is the book for you.
A celebrated outdoor journalist and climbing enthusiast, Krakauer set out to scale the 29,032-foot peak of Everest in 1996. His article-turned-book documents his expedition with famed mountaineer Rob Hall and his company, Adventure Consultants. Through interviews and his own experience, Krakauer documents the events of the infamous 96 Everest expedition in exhaustive detail and does so in an accessible and comprehensible way that even a layman who doesn’t know how to pronounce bivouac [biv(ə)ˌwak] will be able to understand. Krakauer delivers a piece that goes beyond a simple recounting, creating a narrative of the bleak icy slopes that will stay with you for weeks after.
At his core, Jon Krakauer is a journalist and it’s clearly reflected in his writing. His book begins with a fair amount of exposition, setting the scene for the series of misfortune that would befall him and his fellow mountaineers. Krakauer dives deep into the history of Everest, the various routes traversed, the techniques of past and present climbers, the history and culture of the Sherpas, and even the lives and aspirations of his fellow climbers. The first half of the book is reflective of an author who is fact-forward, leaving speculation and emotion out of his writing to deliver a concise recounting of events. What struck me, however, was the shift seen in Krakauer’s writing. As the expedition reaches its climax, oxygen is thin, and tensions are rising, his writing makes a gradual and then sharp turn. The writer we see near the top of Everest is very different than the one we saw at Base Camp. The gravity of the situation in conjunction with the bonds he’s formed with his fellow climbers begins to weigh him. His writing becomes more emotional and subjective. He sheds the calculated, “just the facts” mentality synonymous with the role of a journalist and begins to examine the morality of the expedition and the ethics of his actions. His writing adopts aspects of existentialism as his mortality hangs in the air around him. This evolution in his writing sets Krakauer apart from many other journalist-turned-novelists. That is, his ability to shed a cold and calculated approach and adopt one that shows his vulnerability and humanity in an impossible situation.
Regardless of whether you’re an experienced climber, a Nepalese history buff, or just stumbling into a bookstore looking for something to pick up, I can’t recommend Into Thin Air enough. Krakauer’s exceptional storytelling in tandem with the accessibility and evolving nature of his writing lands Into Thin Air at a 4 out of 5 on the bean scale and that's enough for a full stew!
