Solo Faces

Mountaineering fiction by the well known author James Salter - the first of his books I have read. I wasn't exactly taken by this story, so I am not yet convinced he writes in a style suited to me - although he is often compared to Hemingway. It may be the subject matter of this one - I have mentioned before I find mountaineering fiction less appealing than the screeds of mountaineering non-fiction available.

This short book tells the story of Vernon Rand, a Californian who moves to the French Alps (Chamonix) for the climbing. It is set in the 1970's, when life was seemingly far simpler than the modern day. Americans can bum around in France working low paid jobs and still get by with enough money to buy the climbing equipment they need!

Solo Faces refers to the mountaineering lifestyle where all other facets take second place - family, relationships, careers - at times even safety and making good decisions. Rand leaves behind a wife in California, gets an English girl he is seeing in Chamonix pregnant and withdraws himself from their relationship such that she moves back to Paris to a former lover. He competes and teams up with other climbers, equally seeking and shunning fame, unsure what he wants from life other than climbing.

Rand makes some dangerous climbs, including a climb to rescue some trapped climbers, gains some temporary notoriety, but fades back into relative obscurity.

3 stars