White Mountain: A Cultural Adventure Through the Himalayas

On a quest to understand the geographic and cultural significance of the Himalayas, British author and adventurer Twigger (Red Nile) weaves the stories of mountaineers and mystics, Buddhists and biologists, with an account of his own trek across the legendary mountain range. Slim chapters on early 20th-century figures with connections to the region, including George Everest and Greco-Armenian spiritualist G.I. Gurdjieff, are held together by musings on philosophy, history, and science, as well as a healthy dash of condescension for anyone who doesn’t resemble Twigger himself—white, male, Oxbridge educated, and infatuated with wordy banalities such as “the unreachable is also a way of conceptualizing the absolute.” Baggy and disorganized, the book is difficult to follow, and the dramatic impact of Twigger’s own ascent is undercut by the lack of evocative or detailed descriptions of the people and places he encounters. As its title unintentionally reveals, this is a book that serves to reenact Western fantasies about conquering a rugged and “timeless” East. Yet Twigger is not above pandering to modern audiences, with cringeworthy chapter openings such as “Shamans get high. Go higher.” The result is a singularly bizarre volume that manages to be far too long while not saying anything much. (Oct.)