If I had to summarise the atmosphere of In the Kingdom of Ice through sound, it would be this:
Surf lapping against ice. Crashing waves. Bowhead whales spraying water. Gulls squawking. Boots crunching snow. The groan of a ship held in winter’s clutches.
I finished this book almost a year ago, and it still plays on my mind. At first I thought it was slow, difficult to get into, but then I came to appreciate the rich, vibrant backstory Sides paints behind an epic tale of human survival. A real one. The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette is a true story, meticulously researched, and told in narrative style.
I’d never read a non-fiction book told in narrative style before, and I loved it. I’ve always preferred fiction to non-fiction; although the latter can be extremely interesting and informative, my heart lies with stories. Using letters written by the men (and women) involved in the expedition, Sides manages to create a narrative as intimate as if you were there with them, battling snowstorms and sickness, madness and starvation.
I found the captain’s wife’s letters very touching – some of what she wrote was included in the story, interspersing the voyage so the reader gets a sense of what it was like for those the crew left behind. Even though she had no way of sending them to her husband, they were a symbol of hope and love throughout the book.
One aspect of the writing I loved was the way Sides described the people. A few photographs had been included halfway through, and as I kept flicking through pages to look at them, I realised I could immediately tell who was who without even reading the names beneath the little black and white portraits. Sides imbues characters with life – he doesn’t just describe their face shape or hair colour, he weaves their energy into every descriptive sentence, and their personalities shine through clearly.
It was one of the many reasons I grew attached to the characters. Even though I knew the voyage took place in 1879, even though I had a vague idea of how the story would end (from the word ‘terrible’ in the title)… reading this didn’t feel like staring into the past through a grainy telescope at a tiny, blurred, monochrome picture. It felt like these men could have lived and breathed and dreamed only a few years ago. And that made everything even more real.
This wasn’t a distant thing. Even though in the 19th century it was widely believed that there was a warm ‘Open Sea’ at the North Pole and breaking through pack ice guaranteed smooth sailing, it wasn’t that long ago at all. I grew so attached to the crew that when tragedy befell them, it hurt. I read faster, skimming the pages, biting my nails as I tried to find out who made it out of the Arctic alive… and who didn’t.
I started reading this book for research, as I wanted to write a fiction novel set in the Arctic. I wanted to see what it was like to brave the elements. I finished reading with a profound sense of loss, as if I’d known the crew personally, as if I’d suffered with them along their heroic, heartbreaking journey which was full of all the twists and turns of an action movie.
And I’m so glad I picked this book up. I plan on reading many more of Hampton Sides’s novels in the future.
Because of the snowy weather recently, it seemed fitting to write this review as my first blog post! More will be coming soon, along with my thoughts on the writing process, how I write books, and possible mythological or historical posts. Because history is fascinating.
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What I’m currently reading: On Writing by Stephen King
Mythology fact of the day: The Inuit god, Agloolik, is a spirit which lives under the ice and is a guardian of seals. Agloolik provides game for hunters and fishermen to feed their families while protecting the balance of nature.
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“There was something peculiarly haunting and powerful about the raw prehistoric landscape – ‘this grand wilderness in its untouched freshness,’ as Muir put it.” – Hampton Sides, In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette, page 263
Word Seeker 