Debut novelist Tanis Rideout mingles historical fact and fiction in Above All Things, alternating the story of George Mallory's part in the 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition with the life of the loving wife he left behind.
Mallory, the last great English explorer, has already risked life and limb twice trying to become the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest. When a third opportunity presents itself, he cannot say no. While his mission colors him a hero in the eyes of a British people still recovering from the First World War, his wife, Ruth, has a much different reaction. Mallory promised her he was done with his dangerous expeditions, that he wanted to settle down with her and their three small children for good.
Rideout subtly explores possible motivations for his obsession: a chance to give a taste of glory to war-ravaged Britain, an ultimate thrill ride, an escape from flashbacks to the war, even an obligation to Ruth to complete the goal that has kept him from her.
While Mallory and his fellow mountaineers endure freezing temperatures, the loss of comrades and prickly personality conflicts over many weeks, the juxtaposed scenes of Ruth's life in Britain are all taken from one day, the day on which she learns whether or not her husband will return. Interspersed throughout both narratives are flashbacks from the couple's courtship that reveal their love. This combination of nail-biting adventure and tender romance will thrill and move readers right up to the end. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services manager at Latah County Library District and blogger at Infinite Reads