Review: Dead Mountain

4 stars. I have a bit of an obsession with unsolved mysteries, and the incident at Dyatlov Pass has captivated me for years and years and years. While I’m not quite ready to accept an explanation (will we ever really know?), I am ready to say that the theory posited in this captivating, crisply written book is a very convincing one. I really respect this author for pursuing answers in such a respectful way - he never deviates or forgets that at the core of this “incident” is a tragedy absolutely beyond belief.

In 1959, nine young, experienced, enthusiastic hikers ascended into the mountains and never returned. Their bodies, found scattered and buried under snow in the area surrounding their tent, showed signs of being killed by an “immense unknown force” - some had injuries consistent with a car crash; one was missing her tongue; none were properly dressed to be outside the tent. More oddities: the tent itself was cut from the inside, their clothes tested as highly radioactive, one of the men was wearing two wristwatches. In 1959, no one could have solved such an unusual and sad case, and so it has grown into one of the largest and most unsettling unsolved mysteries in Russia and beyond, inspiring a variety of conspiracy theories including weapons testing, orbs, and U.F.O.’s.

This book tells three stories: the story of the hikers (recreated using diaries and knowledge of their route and gained from interviews), the story of the search and subsequent investigation, and the author’s own personal story as he looks for answers. It’s wonderfully written nonfiction - reminded me of David Grann - and never veers into anything to exploitative, confusing, or irrational. A mystery like this, at its core, is heartbreaking on so many levels and, quite simply, unfair. The author never loses sight of this and trudges on admirably and with care.

As I said initially, his conclusion is an extremely convincing one. I enjoyed his breakdown of the various theories and the methodical process of elimination employed to bring me where he wanted. I’m ready to accept that his theory is probably the most plausible one I’ve seen - but if it is what happened, I’d wonder why it hasn’t happened since. Not just there, in that deadly pass, but everywhere - anywhere - there must be a location SOMEWHERE with similar conditions. Regardless, how unfortunate - how fucking UNLUCKY - for those beautiful young people to be where they were when they were. I absolutely cannot imagine the intense fear they experienced. I read the final chapter three times and I have to say, as cheesy at it sounds, it meant something, to sort of feel like I was there with them, in their final moments.

Highly, HIGHLY recommend this book for those interested in the mystery. Do NOT read the Wikipedia article, or conspiracy blogs. This should be considered a much more authoritative source on the subject.

Dead Mountain on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads