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A review by jacki_f
Cold Earth by Sarah Moss
5.0
A team of six archaeologists from the UK and US travel to remote Greenland to spend two months excavating a long abandoned settlement. As they leave, there are news reports of a new flu epidemic breaking out. Within a short time, their internet stops working and they have no contact with the outside world. As they excavate, they find evidence of violence. They hear strange sounds at night and sometimes things have moved while they sleep. As the days get shorter and colder and their food supplies diminish, they start to wonder if they will ever make it home.
I can't remember when I was last as caught up by a novel. It wrapped its spooky tentacles around me and absorbed me completely. It felt slightly surreal to sit at my computer and find that I could still connect to the internet. It perfectly captures the isolation and claustrophobia that you would feel it such a situation. It's a chilling read.
No spoilers, but the ending is frustrating. It's both rushed and a little ambiguous. It feels like the author was in a rush to finish the book and go on holiday somewhere warm. But overall it's still a haunting, immersive, gripping read.
Edited to say: I've upgraded this to five stars because four days after finishing it, I still can't stop thinking about it. It's not a perfect book, but it's one that's staying with me.
I can't remember when I was last as caught up by a novel. It wrapped its spooky tentacles around me and absorbed me completely. It felt slightly surreal to sit at my computer and find that I could still connect to the internet. It perfectly captures the isolation and claustrophobia that you would feel it such a situation. It's a chilling read.
No spoilers, but the ending is frustrating. It's both rushed and a little ambiguous. It feels like the author was in a rush to finish the book and go on holiday somewhere warm. But overall it's still a haunting, immersive, gripping read.
Edited to say: I've upgraded this to five stars because four days after finishing it, I still can't stop thinking about it. It's not a perfect book, but it's one that's staying with me.