The Sublime and the Extreme
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I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, having read Trigell's fantastic and deservedly acclaimed and award winning Boy A, it seemed like the subject matter of Cham was going to be a bit light weight by comparison: winter sports and the playgrounds of the privileged instead of the bleak Manchester, mining towns and prisons. But if anything I ended up preferring Cham. There are some striking similarities, yet again the author gives us a central character who should be unlikeable, and then gradually, grudgingly forces us to like them in spite of ourselves. And the oddly named 'Itchy' seems to have a past he'd rather forget, just like Boy A anti-hero Jack, which unravels before our eyes and threatens to undo what little contentment he has secured in the present. The relentless pace is there too, which keeps you burning through, and kept me burning the midnight oil till the finish. The sections on Byron and Shelley were really beautiful written short stories and I could see how they were there to mirror the similar debauchery of the present day Chamonix. But I couldn't help thinking they were also there for Mr Trigell to show off his intelligence. Still, it was a superb read, don't be put off by the setting, if you liked Boy A then you'll love this.
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The Beach but with snow sports.
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I really loved this book. I first bought it because I read a review somewhere that said it was like the novel The Beach, only set in a ski resort. Actually if anything it is much better than The Beach, but it has a similar sort of darkness at it's heart. People thinking they are leaving normal life and it's problems behind, only to find they can't. I've never been to Chamonix, or skiing or snowboarding, but I feel like I know that world after reading Cham. Its a good gripping read, but there's a lot of hidden depths as well, like the crevices in the glaciers...
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Good thriller for skiers and non skiers alike
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If you have ever had the good fortune to holiday in Chamonix, this book is part thriller, part reminisce about the time you spent there. However read with no prior knowledge of the place, this book would still not disappoint. The landscape and environment are beautifully described, whilst at the same time revealing the dark underbelly of the seasonnaire's life. The main character Itchy isn't immediately likeable (if at all in the whole novel) but is compelling, forcing you to continue to the end to find out what happens. This novel also makes good use of romantic prose to show the similarities between the past and the present. An incredibly mature and exciting read - I finished it in one night. It does make you feel uncomfortable in places though as it reveals a variety of moral stances. Don't let this put you off.. Off to read his first novel, Boy A now.
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