Endurance

Forget reading or watching a thriller, this work was nail-biting in the extreme. It documents the true story of Shackleton's incredible voyage to the Antarctic. The title provides a very clear idea of what to expect. The genius of Lansing's composition is that it is derived from conversations with people who survived from the ill-fated expedition, combined with the journals written by crew members at the time. The gory details are unflinching in their brutality. It is hard enough to imagine what Antarctica is like if you haven't been there, but then consider the endurance required to survive for almost two years while being shipwrecked and later having dwindling provisions. The action also took place over a hundred years ago with markedly fewer material comforts than today. The stress and toll described by Lansing is both physical (frostbite, gangrene, starvation) and mental (being stuck with the same people). Shackleton's leadership is also notable. Page 272 sums it up perfectly: ‘Though they had failed dismally even to come close to the expedition's original objective, they knew now that somehow they had done much more than ever they set out to do.’ The harshness of the conditions also stands in marked contrast to the majestic beauty of Antarctica. Every book I read on the topic increases my longing to return.

By Alfred Lansing