173. A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve...

My introduction to Anita Shreve was Testimony, which I read way back in February. Apparently it made enough of an impact that I put my hand up to review her newest effort, A Change in Altitude...

About the book:

Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband.

A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and they eagerly agree. But during their harrowing ascent, a horrific accident occurs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how these events have transformed her and her marriage, perhaps forever.

A Change in Altitude illuminates the inner landscape of a couple, the irrevocable impact of tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, Anita Shreve transports us to the exotic panoramas of Africa and into the core of our most intimate relationships.

drey's thoughts:
A Change in Altitude is a meandering read into the lives of Margaret and Patrick, and their adventures (foibles?) in Kenya. The nuances of a marriage are explored, the intimacy and betrayal examined--not just Margaret and Patrick's, though the focus is on them. Is it cheating if all you're really guilty of is letting someone hold your hand? If it's not, then how do you deal with a spouse who thinks it is? And if it is, then is the guilt over the eventual outcome, something that can be overcome? Or do you just keep carrying it around, never talking about it, like the proverbial elephant in the room?

This one's not a happy read, nor is it a light read. Prepare a cup of tea before sitting down with it--you won't want to get up for a while.

Title: A Change in Altitude
Author: Anita Shreve
ISBN-10: 0316020702
ISBN-13: 9780316020701
Hardcover: 307 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company, 2009

Challenges: 100+, Pub

39. Testimony by Anita Shreve...

Avery Academy is a private school in northern Vermont, where a scandal involving four students takes place. The events leading up to, and the resulting consequences of the scandal are narrated in Testimony by those involved, as well as their roommates, parents, teachers, and the principal of the school. All of these different points of view were confusing in the beginning, except for the principal's story, as we started with him.

Anita Shreve weaves a compelling tale of the teenagers caught up in the scandal - Silas, the local boy with a bright future; Rob, stopping by on his way to early admission at Brown; J. Dot, promising basketball player; and Sienna, as she now calls herself, after.

Silas' voice is tragic. A well-respected student, he finds love in a fellow student. When he finds out that betrayal is a bitter drought to swallow, he sets himself - and the other boys - down the path to a chain of events that ends up with him as a permanent victim.

Sienna's story is a little confusing. Yes, she was fourteen at the time, but she doesn't seem to realize that her actions have brought about the firestorm that engulfs the boys and their families.

Testimony was a quick read, with each narration a puzzle piece that you need to fit to fully get the big picture. However, in this case the puzzle does have extra pieces laying around. I think that some of the other teacher narratives could've been left out - they didn't really add much to the picture. And Rob's final narrative is a nice tie-up-all-the-loose-ends that explains things more clearly, if you didn't quite get it from reading the rest of the book.

Title: Testimony
Author: Anita Shreve
ISBN-10: 0-316-05086-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-05986-2
Hardcover: 305 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company, 2008