Paolo Cognetti:  Without ever reaching the summit: A Himalayan Journey, 9781787302273, small hardback, Pub date: July 2020, Harvill/Secker -  Vintage UK

German Edition: Gehen, ohne je den Gipfel zu besteigen, Penguin Verlag, Paperback , lieferbar

In this challenging time my reading taste drifts very much towards travel narrations, one of the reasons I found myself attracted to Paolo Cognetti’s “Without ever reaching the summit – A Himalayan Journey”.  

He and two of his closest friends set off when Cognetti turned forty travelling to the remote Himalayan region of Dolpo to walk in Peter Matthiessen’s footsteps.

Dolpo is the closest one can come to the ancient Tibetan culture and life before the Chinese annexation of Tibet, sitting between Tibet and Nepal. Peter Matthiessen travelled to Dolpo in the 1970ties in search of the legendary snow leopard resulting in his famous cult classic “The Snow Leopard”, a book I read with fascination when it came out in 1978. Paolo Cognetti carries it with him like a bible referring to it over and over during their adventure.  His excellent 160 page long account of their trek of mules, native guides and friends hiking in unhospitable cold and high altitude of over 5500 meters is a fascinating mixture between literary travel journal, observations of their encounters with people who call Dulpo their home, their ancient religion and harsh yet seemingly happy life, while overcoming his own physical limitations hiking at such high altitude trying to process all the impressions and thoughts surfacing.  

His sensitive descriptions of nature in this unusual part of the Himalaya, their attachment to the dog that befriends and travels with them as well as other wildlife encounters had a great calming effect on me while reading.  A very special little book.

Paolo Cognetti has a few other bestselling books out in German, fiction and non-fiction.  

Donna Leon: Trace Elements, 9781785152443, Heinemann (Penguin Random House UK), C Format Paperback

It is always wonderful to escape to Donna Leon’s Venice without actually leaving the house which felt especially precious right now since we do not know when we can actually physically enjoy our next trip to Italy or Venice again. Unusual times, sigh….

“Trace Elements” starts with Commissario Guido Brunetti and his colleague Claudia Griffoni being called to a hospice as a dying woman wants to tell them about some bad money her deceased husband was involved in. Additionally Vice Questore Patta becomes obsessed with Roma pickpockets in Venice and the damage this might cause to the city’s reputation. These are in general the two plots running through the novel which is definitely more on the quiet, philosophical and reflective side.  It takes a long time and many pages before gears are set in motion by Commissario Brunetti to unravel the crime behind the dying woman’s last words. Justice can be a two sided sword as Brunetti becomes painfully aware  as can be guilt and responsibility in this complicated case.

I was not overly thrilled with this plot unlike her last novel,  “Unto us a son is given”, which I could not put down.  But as usual Donna Leon’s storytelling skills of Venetian and Italian life are impeccable and always a joy to read.