Simpson's Latest Book Reviewed

The Beckoning Silence - Joe Simpson
(Hardback £17.99 - Random House)

Quite a few men hitting 40 succumb to the symptoms of classic mid-life crisis - you know, a ridiculously fast motorcycle, a refurbished child bride and all sorts of bizarre and uncharacteristic risk taking.

Before he bids the biggies farewell though, he decides on one final major climb, yep, on hitting 40, he resolves to tackle the legendary North Face of the Eiger along with all its psychological and historical baggage.

The Beckoning Silence takes the reader from iffy icefall climbing in the French Alps, via Bridalveil Falls in the Rockies to the harrowing climax of the book on the Nordwand itself. As always Simpson is immensely readable and, as so often, he dons his cape as the Nick Hornby of mountaineering literature.

Unlike most climbing writers and his own heroes, who are dotted through the book, Simpson is relentlessly honest and racked with self doubt. His two greatest strengths are the unsheathing of the insecurities and thought processes that most climbers go through, but stash safely away from view, and a gift for vividly describing the sensations and mechanics of climbing.

In this book he does both and while it's not always a comfortable read - what do you expect from Simpson - in my opinion, it's his best work since Game of Ghosts and well worth reading. The final chapters of the book when Simpson and his climbing partner Ray Delaney are

Don't take my word for it though, two pieces, which are effectively extracts from the book have already been published on OUTDOORSmagic. Check them out and decide for yourself. Bear in mind that they have been edited for the web.

(more links below)