Reviews

Cold Earth by Sarah Moss

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tamara_joy's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

We tried to talk about survival but we didn't get very far. I think postgraduate students may be an evolutionary dead end, though you'd think archaeologists would have more of a clue than mathematical logicians, say, or experts in late Latin poetry. Nina, who works on nineteenth-century travel writing, knows all about expeditions that didn't make it, but so far her suggestions are limited to wondering how the Franklin survivors cooked their colleagues, since the chopped up bones were found in cooking pots, and suggesting that there ought to be some way of catching fish using tights.

A small archaeological dig on the west coast of Greenland sets out to uncover what they can of a medival Norse farmstead during the brief weeks of summer. Back home, there are worrying indications that an epidemic might prove more dangerous than SARS or swine flu. Nina, the only non-archaeologist, soon begins to hear alarming noises at night and to suffer from vivid nightmares of what happened to the inhabitants of this small settlement. Tension grows as they lose both their internet and satellite phone connections to the outside world. With winter coming, the group begins to worry about whether they'll be picked up on schedule and whether there'll be a world to return to.

Cold Earth was one of those books that felt painful to put down. Sarah Moss builds such exquisitely suspenseful tension as the group bickers, comes apart, and wonders if the world outside still exists, that up through the final pages, I was prepared for pretty much anything to happen. With its near-Arctic setting, I can't think of a better book for these hot summer days, unless you want to be able to put the book down now and then.

djthatch's review

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3.0

*This review contains spoilers*

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I wanted to read this book but I was also able to read it as a final project for my Archaeology class. Because I read this book both for an assignment and for pleasure, I may be too critical.

This book is written as letters home to loved-ones from six archaeologists on a summer-long dig in Greenland. Each chapter is written in the perspective of a different Archaeologist– Nina, Ruth, Jim, Catriona, Yianni, Ben, finishing again with Nina at the end.

The book follows how each individual perceives what's going on, and how they relate with the other archaeologists. During the dig, it becomes clear that they are not the only beings in the area. Nina is the first to start experiencing something out of the ordinary, and slowly the others are convinced. The narration follows the group's work, research, experiences with the supernatural, and survival in Greenland. There is also an underlying issue that is explored while they're there: when they land in Greenland they discover that there is a world-wide pandemic that is spreading, and they're trying to find out how their families are doing.

The Archaeology aspect seems pretty accurate. I have highlighted sections for my project, and I'm quite happy with what I have to work with for this assignment.

I have a few critiques of the book. First, the book is supposed to be first-person letters home. However, there is quite often direct dialogue between the person writing and other people. I had a hard time accepting each chapter as a letter when there was direct dialogue– I don't think that someone writing a letter home would take the time to create a narrative dialogue like that. However, this technique was quite unique. When I was able to accept that this was a letter, I felt like the particular individual was actually writing the letter to me– this experience again was lost when a certain individual or memory was referenced that I clearly had no experience of.

Next, the supernatural element. I really enjoyed the element of the supernatural. It added a mystery and almost horror aspect to the novel. However, I felt like this element was underdeveloped. There was quite a lot of mention of the supernatural; but, in the end, little developed out of the supposed "Greenlanders".

Lastly, the pandemic. Again, the pandemic added a nice secondary narrative, and an added stress to the already overworked, tired, and scared Archaeologists; but, again, this was underdeveloped. Little was explained about it, even in the ending.

Overall, the book held my attention, kept me interested and is quality material (Archaeologically speaking) for my assignment. I would recommend for anyone interested in a quick read, with a narrative driven by different perspectives.

hayleighlouise's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

hetauuu's review

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3.0

What I enjoyed the most about Cold Earth, Moss' debut novel, is seeing how all the things that make her an exciting author to me are starting to bloom in this book. None of them are necessary in their glory, but what author who lays out all of their cards and never improves from their debut novel could have such a long and prosperous career?

The setting of Cold Earth - an isolated place far off in the Greenlandic nature, where our characters are executing an archaeological dig - is extremely central to the story, and Moss brings it alive with vigor and haunting grace. It is not quite as immersive and polished as the brilliant atmospheric setting in [b:Ghost Wall|38922230|Ghost Wall|Sarah Moss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521962112l/38922230._SY75_.jpg|60493489], but it clearly shows Moss' strong suits: darker, eerie, isolated, foggy places where the lines between reality and delusion begin to blur. The character development is good and enough time is given to all the central characters, though there is some sloppiness here and there, especially with the first-person POVs of American characters who use a lot of British English words. I also enjoy how Moss knows how to elicit strong feelings from the reader towards the characters, as I hate nothing as much as I hate a replaceable, unremarkable character. While I don't think Cold Earth has the most multidimensional characters, as Moss has improved significantly on that field too, they still made me feel a lot, which certainly cannot be said for all books.

Moss is an expert when it comes to teasing the story out until the end and leaving the reader wondering whether to trust the words on the pages fully or not. However, I did find Cold Earth to leave quite a bit unexplained and overall the ending of the book was its weakest point and honestly felt a bit like wish fulfillment. The steady buildup, while impressive, fell rather flat in the end. It never really lived up to its potential. I definitely got the sense of Moss not wanting to take huge risks in her debut novel, so she opted for a 'cleaner' ending. I also didn't like how unnecessary the pandemic plotline was. I thought the ending of the book would justify its presence, but I came out of the book thinking the whole pandemic plotline could have been lifted out and the story would not have suffered. I also struggled a bit at times with the ghost/haunting aspects of the plot, though once I began to look at them for what they are, I understood them better and overall don't think they really hindered my enjoyment of the novel (not saying that the pandemic plotline necessarily did that either, I just don't like disjointed/unnecessary additions).

I don't think Cold Earth will be competing for the coveted title of My Favorite Sarah Moss Book, but it is certainly a delight to read the debut novel of an author I'm endlessly fascinated by. As far as debut novels go, this one had more good than bad, and I did find the reading experience hauntingly immersive more often than not.

inkblot_cdc's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

mrs_j_will's review

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4.0

This novel was a challenge to get into for me. Nina's journey, which started the story, had difficulties grasping my attention. She comes off as someone who doesn't belong in Greenland, on this dig. Nina also appears to be a little crazy and disconnected from most of the others present. However, this sets up the story very nicely. And, by the end of this section I was hooked. Reading the story as the different characters, as the time progressed, and not having them start from the arrival of the dig was a great author choice. I would absolutely read more from Sarah Moss.