In 1946, Stella is hired as a mountain guide in the Southern Alps, an unconventional career for a woman but one that she loves. She likes nothing better than to roam the mountains with her mentor Philip, and Jim, a man troubled by his past. But Stella and her friends cannot prevent a tragedy that will change everything.
In 2019, experienced journalist Kate disappears from her life, searching for the truth after her grandmother’s deathbed confession. Her daughters follow the small clues that Kate has left behind, including an old mountaineering photograph, and in doing so they uncover the story of Stella and her friends, and a lie that has been part of their family for many years.
Inspired by real-life history, this is a multi-layered novel as the central women strive for truth and freedom. The characters are exceptionally well-drawn, the plot compelling, and the mountain is both a place of solace and tranquility, and danger and sorrow.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Glacier Press