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A review by jenni8fer
The Flying Mountain by Christoph Ransmayr
5.0
Whilst The Flying Mountain was longlisted for the 2018 Man Booker International Prize, I'm surprised it didn't make the shortlist. The author has extensive knowledge of Ireland and Asia as well as mountain climbing in Transhimalaya which I appreciate the details. I was on the edge of my seat reading the glacier climbing scenes.
The story follows two adult brothers who leave home on Horse Island off the southwestern coast of Ireland for Transhimalaya in eastern Tibet with the goal to climb an unnamed mountain in an unmarked territory on the map discovered by the older brother on his computer's screen saver. They enter China on a visa for an educational tour through the country on farming along with other foreign dignitaries. The two discretely deviate from the group to go to eastern Tibet close to the border of Nepal for the Transhimalayan mountain range. There they join a tribe of natives as they make their months' long journey to move their yaks and goats for summer grazing from one side of the region, where the tribe winters, to the base of the Flying Mountain, as the natives call the unnamed mountain the brothers mean to climb. During this journey, the younger brother who is the narrator will come to understand much about his strained relationship with his older brother and their childhood with their domineering father.
This is a story of family and love written in beautiful blank verse. I loved it!
The story follows two adult brothers who leave home on Horse Island off the southwestern coast of Ireland for Transhimalaya in eastern Tibet with the goal to climb an unnamed mountain in an unmarked territory on the map discovered by the older brother on his computer's screen saver. They enter China on a visa for an educational tour through the country on farming along with other foreign dignitaries. The two discretely deviate from the group to go to eastern Tibet close to the border of Nepal for the Transhimalayan mountain range. There they join a tribe of natives as they make their months' long journey to move their yaks and goats for summer grazing from one side of the region, where the tribe winters, to the base of the Flying Mountain, as the natives call the unnamed mountain the brothers mean to climb. During this journey, the younger brother who is the narrator will come to understand much about his strained relationship with his older brother and their childhood with their domineering father.
This is a story of family and love written in beautiful blank verse. I loved it!