4.5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: I read a review of it by RosieAmber.
In a Nutshell: The allegedly true story of Slavomir Rawicz, who escaped from a Siberian labour camp during World War II, and, with comrades, trekked thousands of miles to reach safety. Fact or fiction?
I'd read half of this book before I looked at it on Goodreads, and was so disappointed to find that there is dispute over the veracity of the story. Some say that there is no record of Rawicz having been incarcerated at the gulag mentioned, but I wondered about that. Service in Siberia was in itself a punishment for Russian soldiers who had fallen short of the demonic Communist party's expectations; perhaps successful escapees were scratched from the records for the officers' own safety?
The journey takes the small party from Siberia to Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, Tibet, the Himalayas and finally to India. I was so absorbed in the story and found it completely convincing until I saw the comments on Goodreads. After this, I questioned everything. I am not sure if this says more about me than the book! There was a moment, early on, when I wondered if I would have been so engrossed if it had been fiction; I was able to answer that question later. Nevertheless, it's fascinating and a real page turner.
One part that made me wonder was the section in the Gobi desert when Rawicz and his friends survived for up to 12 days without water. Two of them died, yes, but 12 days? On the other hand, the longest known survival without is 18 days (yes, of course I looked it up!). And some, such as Ernest Shackleton, have talked about the 'Third Man Factor', during which they felt, in circumstances of extreme danger and hardship, that there was another, unseen being walking with them.
If all true, it's the most incredible memoir of escape, resilience, brotherhood and so much more, in which I often felt the detail itself spoke volumes. If not, it's still a great story.
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