Customer Reviews

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A few weeks back, in search of something good to watch at the video store, I picked up Kevin Macdonald's Touching the Void documentary from the shelf. As I was skeptically reading the back of the DVD case, the fellow standing next to me said that it was a "really good movie." I took him on his word and later disovered a movie that I have since been raving about to all who will listen. It is a riveting story in which an injured climber is left for dead on a Peruvian mountain and manages to crawl his way off. It sounds like fiction, but, as is often the case, this true story is incredible beyond what a writer could believable construct. So, when I found out that Joe Simpson (the climber left on the mountain) had written a book, Touching the Void about his harrowing adventure, I knew I needed to read it.

The movie and the DVD extras take the viewer on an emotional path where one at first dislikes the arrongant and impetuous Simpson, while his climbing pal Simon Yates seems more sympathetic. However, as the movie continues and especially if you watch the Return to Siula Grande DVD extra, it becomes hard not to empathize with Simpson's reaction to returning to the place where he had faced so much trauma and to, in contrast, find Yates cold and unfeeling, as if the experience they shared so many years before no longer affected him personally. The end of the movie leaves one with the impression that Simpson, although understanding at what Yates did, does not really like Yates and does certainly not consider him a friend.

The book, written several years earlier, certainly leaves a more positive impression of Yates. While Simpson admits to having written the book in part to clear Yates's name in the climbing communitry, his storytelling takes the reader beyond a defense of Yates's actions. In fact, Simpson's description of Yates's attempt to lower the injured Simpson down the mountain portrays an act that is nothing short of heroic. It is clear that his cutting the rope was a last, desperate resort to end a situation in which there was no way out.

While the book and the movie both tell very closely the same story, reading the book and seeing the movie is neither a redundant experience nor an exercise in detecting differences in the two plots. In fact, the one enriches the story in the other. The maps and the first-person telling in the book complement the documentary-style script and the sweeping vistas caught on film.

This book recounts an amazing tale of courage, fortitude, and the will to live, despite dire circumstances. The author, Joe Simpson, and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, attempted to ascend a perilous section of the Peruvian Andes. Near the summit, tragedy struck when Joe, up over 19,000 feet, fell and hit a slope at the base of a cliff, breaking his right leg, rupturing his right knee, and shattering his right heel. Beneath him was a seemingly endless fall to the bottom.

When Simon reached him, they both knew that the chances for getting Joe off the mountain were virtually non-existent. Yet, they fashioned a daring plan to to do just that. For the next few hours, they worked in tandem through a snow storm, and managed a risky, yet effective way of trying to lower Joe down the mountain.

About three thousand feet down, Joe, who was still roped to Simon, dropped off an edge and found himself now free hanging in space six feet away from an ice wall, unable to reach it with his axe. The edge was over hung about fifteen feet above him. The dark outline of a crevasse lay about a hundred feet directly below him.

Joe could not get up, and Simon could not get down. In fact, Joe's weight began to pull Simon off the mountain. So, Simon was finally forced to do the only thing he could do under the circumstances. He cut the rope, believing that he was consigning his friend to certain death. Therein lies the tale.

What happens next is sure to make one believe in miracles. This is an absorbing read and one of the great stories in mountaineering literature.

This was one novel that I could not put down. In a nut shell, this true life story is about Joe Simpson and the troubles he endured while mountaineering in Peruvian Andes. What makes the story so gripping is that this was no up the mountain; down the mountain story. Instead Joe takes us on a wild ride into his psyche as he encounters a few problems along the way, and how he manages to deal with them in a calm, cool, collected manner.

Even though this book has been making the rounds in the rock climbing/mountaineering scene for years now, everyone, regardless of their backgrounds should give this book a read. It is a testament to the human spirit, as well as a never give up attitude. At the end of the book, all you'll be able to say is 'wow'.

While I wouldn't exactly put this in the inspirational category, it is a true story of epic determination and courage that begins like so many typical muntaineering trips and turns tragic after a small mistake not out of the realm of any of us.
Set in the Andes, the narrative follows a pair of climbers up an underestimated route to the summit of a peak then after ruggling down a horrifying ridge the plot thickens. For fear of wrecking the story I will only mention that left for dead 50 feet down in a crevasse with a completely useless leg, the only thing that gives you any hope for this guy is that there are just too many pages unread for the story to end simply. The story is put forth in such detail that you're body aches sympathetically and you just want Joe to give it up. Even the mental torture expressed by Joe's partner, Simon, forced to give up any hope of Joe's survival will tear you apart. It's rivetting reading and you shouldn't start it unless you have time to finish it.

I don't know whose idea it was to pick this reader for the book-on-tape edition, but he was very hard to listen to. He does have an accent but I could have gotten used to that, the main problem is his flat tone of voice. This is an exciting story but he reads it like he is reading his grocery list. My mind kept drifting while I listened to him. I recommend getting the book instead of the cassette.

Joe Simpson has the drive and heart of a lion. I could not put the book down. I read it cover to cover. An amazing account of someone pushing the limits! The stark truth of the mental strenght needed for the sport of Mountaineering.

If you like to climb or are just interested, this book will give you some perspective on the extreme edges of this great sport.

Racing throught the last chapter on a crowded commuter train out of London - I was on the verge of tears and almost missed my stop. I would recommend this book to anybody, it's not just for people interested in adventure and climbing. It's truely outstanding.

My heart pounded wildly, my muscles tensed, my hands sweated, and I could not put this book down. I felt awe, fear, frustration, sorrow, and a great deal of sympathy. The writing is descriptive and amazingly personal. This is not a book one can wander through haphazardly. Each step must be paid close attention to and every movement through the book is carefully guided by the horrific events explained therin. Simply one of the finest books I have ever had the immense pleasure to read...that is to say...to LIVE through!

A great story, perhaps not a great literary work, but captivating enough. My impression was that this book was written by Joe Simpson as part of a cathartic process of sorts, to deal with the trauma of the experience. Scathing reviews such as that of lazza are completely misguided, as this book wasn't written for such an audience. If you are interested in the extremes of mountain climbing and want a little insight or perhaps inspiration, then this modern mountaineering classic is the book for you. Otherwise, you may still find it to be a gripping read, but don't expect delicately crafted prose.

This is, quite simply, the greatest mountaineering book ever written.