Silvia Vasquez-Lavado’s heart-stopping memoir views mountain climbing as a cathartic act of shared healing

Book review

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado knows exactly why she climbs. Photo: Emily Assiran

Eilis O'Hanlon

The American mountaineer and film director Jimmy Chin once said that the question climbers are always asked is: “Why, why, why?” His own answer was that “it’s an ineffable thing, you can’t describe it.”