Description

Touching the Void is the heart-stopping account of Joe Simpson’s terrifying adventure in the Peruvian Andes. He and his climbing partner, Simon, reached the summit of the remote Siula Grande in June 1995. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frost-bitten, with news that that Joe was dead.

What happened to Joe, and how the pair dealt with the psychological traumas that resulted when Simon was forced into the appalling decision to cut the rope, makes not only an epic of survival but a compelling testament of friendship.

Publisher Review

"A brilliant, vivid, gripping, heart-stopping account of their terrifying adventure... Superbly written" * Sunday Express * "One of the absolute classics of mountaineering...a document of psychological, even philosophical witness of the rarest compulsion'" -- George Steiner * Sunday Times * "On every level it is an outstanding literary achievement" * Independent * "A quite extraordinary and moving book...Touching the Void touches the Great Questions in an understated yet utterly compelling way" * Guardian * "A truly astonishing account of suffering and fortitude...the narrative acquires an irresistible force, carrying all before it" * Sunday Times *