This would have been better as a short story. ( )

An easy, quick read. Interesting premise. The ending was a little flat, but otherwise an okay read. ( )

Una pareja queda atrapada en una estación de esquí sin saber salir.
Jackie y Zoe quedan atrapados en un alud mientras estaban esquiando. Finalmente, consiguen salir y vuelven al hotel para olvidar el desagradable episodio. Después del descanso salen de la habitación y no hay nadie. Es extraño. En el pueblo tampoco queda nadie. ¿Habrán sido evacuados debido al alud? De vuelta al hotel, intentan telefonear pero no hay cobertura. Tratan de huir al pueblo más cercano pero de nuevo no llegan a ningún lugar: los caminos les devuelven siempre al mismo punto de partida. Por otro lado, y pese a que llevan días en el hotel, los alimentos de la cocina siguen teniendo el mismo aspecto. ¿Dónde están? ¿Por qué parece que se haya detenido todo?

I wasn’t expecting The Silent Land by Graham Joyce to have the emotional impact on me that it did. This is a story about a couple, Jake and Zoe, who are on a ski vacation when they get caught up in an avalanche. Jake finds and digs out Zoe and together the two make their way back to their hotel in the small village nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains. When they get back to the hotel, it is totally empty. It looks like everyone just dropped whatever they were doing and left. They soon found out that the entire village was deserted in the same way.

Figuring that the village had been evacuated due to avalanche threat, they tried to phone for help, but no one answered their calls. It was getting late so they settled in for the night and the next morning they borrowed a car from the village and tried to drive off the mountain. Unfortunately the car stalled and they couldn’t get any further. They then tried to ski their way down the mountain but no matter what trail they took, they always ended up back at the village. It soon became clear to them that something very strange was going on and eventually they came to the realization that they had most likely perished in the avalanche and were in limbo. How do they stay together and how do they move on?

I found The Silent Land to be a strange yet romantic read. The main characters have an amazing relationship and, that is where the strength of the story comes from. There are some disturbing and unsettling moments and a brooding sense of urgency runs throughout the book. I think most readers will figure out the final dilemma that faces this couple but The Silent Land is a haunting, atmospheric story about two soulmates finding their destiny. A memorable read. ( )

Can reading a book like this be considered walking (or skiing) a well-known path when it is, in fact, covered in snow?

White, delicious snow that bruises, locks-in, and blankets you in sweet, sweet comfort just before it kills you?

The answer? Yes. The nature of snow is still the nature of snow and the nature of this story, how well-worn, is still a thing of beauty.

So where am I going with all this? It's simple. It's atmosphere, baby. It's characters. It's going on vacation and finding that time and all other people in the world has gone away. It's about love... and the other thing. :) ( )