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A review by nmbx
The Mountain by Luca D'Andrea
3.0
3.75* rounded up.
In New Zealand it's currently winter - it's cold, dark and the mountains are looming on the horizon, so I enjoyed being swept away into the alpine world. The descriptions of the landscapes and the small town of Siebenhoch were immersive and I loved that, but being translated into English from Italian the language felt a little clunky so wasn't the easiest read.
The story gripped me. I wanted to know the mystery behind the Bletterbach killings and despite the slow moving story line, was compelled to know more. I suspected everybody but did not guess the killer! I understand why D'Andrea took the group back up to the Bletterbach for the final scene, it ties the whole story in nicely and makes the history of the killings become real and present. In my mind though, and as much as I loved the ecological niche side-story, the jaekelopterus rhenaniae was just a figment of Salinger's imagination in the end scene as this would have really ruined the book for me if it was a real sighting. Noting that there was no mention of this on the post mortem appeased me a little.
I loved Clara. Her character was so sweet and pure and this was conveyed through Salinger's thoughts and feelings about her. I had warmed to Salinger by the end but taking Clara up to the Bletterbach abolished all the respect I had left for him. She was needed at the Bletterbach to recreate the '85 killings and to add more suspense but what father in his right mind would take a 5 year old child out into the rain, let alone into the rain in a glacial forest!
All in all, a good read. Gripping story although a little slow moving, a few good characters and Siebenhoch was just charming.
Side-note: could not put the book down when Salinger was heading into the caves! Glued to the pages with a pounding heart... what would he find?!
In New Zealand it's currently winter - it's cold, dark and the mountains are looming on the horizon, so I enjoyed being swept away into the alpine world. The descriptions of the landscapes and the small town of Siebenhoch were immersive and I loved that, but being translated into English from Italian the language felt a little clunky so wasn't the easiest read.
The story gripped me. I wanted to know the mystery behind the Bletterbach killings and despite the slow moving story line, was compelled to know more. I suspected everybody but did not guess the killer! I understand why D'Andrea took the group back up to the Bletterbach for the final scene, it ties the whole story in nicely and makes the history of the killings become real and present. In my mind though, and as much as I loved the ecological niche side-story, the jaekelopterus rhenaniae was just a figment of Salinger's imagination in the end scene as this would have really ruined the book for me if it was a real sighting. Noting that there was no mention of this on the post mortem appeased me a little.
I loved Clara. Her character was so sweet and pure and this was conveyed through Salinger's thoughts and feelings about her. I had warmed to Salinger by the end but taking Clara up to the Bletterbach abolished all the respect I had left for him. She was needed at the Bletterbach to recreate the '85 killings and to add more suspense but what father in his right mind would take a 5 year old child out into the rain, let alone into the rain in a glacial forest!
All in all, a good read. Gripping story although a little slow moving, a few good characters and Siebenhoch was just charming.
Side-note: could not put the book down when Salinger was heading into the caves! Glued to the pages with a pounding heart... what would he find?!