A review by jfbfsf
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free by Hector Tobar
4.0
This was a thoughtful, in depth retelling of an infamous event, when 33 miners survived a mine collapse in Chile and then spent weeks trapped underground, as their country worked to free them and the whole world watched.
Parts of this story are slow - setting the scene in the Atacama desert, introducing the characters as they travel to the mine on the day of the collapse, giving them each some backstory, talking about their families. But I felt like all that was the point. The world knows the story - you can look it up on Wikipedia if you didn't live through it. This is a deeper investigation into who went into that mine, how they survived over two months trapped underground, and what happened to them after they were freed. The author is evenhanded and sympathetic to all of the characters, something that must have been challenging after hearing this event told from 33 different perspectives. It's clear that he took seriously the responsibility of telling the miners story, particularly since the miners themselves trusted him to write their official account.
An excellent, worthwhile read.
Parts of this story are slow - setting the scene in the Atacama desert, introducing the characters as they travel to the mine on the day of the collapse, giving them each some backstory, talking about their families. But I felt like all that was the point. The world knows the story - you can look it up on Wikipedia if you didn't live through it. This is a deeper investigation into who went into that mine, how they survived over two months trapped underground, and what happened to them after they were freed. The author is evenhanded and sympathetic to all of the characters, something that must have been challenging after hearing this event told from 33 different perspectives. It's clear that he took seriously the responsibility of telling the miners story, particularly since the miners themselves trusted him to write their official account.
An excellent, worthwhile read.