Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated 1912 Antarctic expedition is one of the great adventure stories of all time, and the mythic resonance of its misfortunes seems to deepen with each passing decade. In her novel The Birthday Boys, Beryl Bainbridge envisions the unfolding tragedy through the eyes of Captain Scott and the four men who died alongside him. The “boys” of the title are Scott and his polar companions, each of whom the author allows to recount a stage of the expedition. Through these evocative first-person narratives, Bainbridge memorably captures the humanity of the explorers. Amid the beauty and terror of their surroundings, and under cruel and incredible sufferings, their admiration, affection, and their love for one another become the most remarkable revelations of this gripping tale. The author illuminates the power of male bonding as tellingly as any novelist ever has.