BR: Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Aron Ralston)

Amazon Link: Between a Rock and a Hard Place:

Aron's story reads as a biographical account of his spirit -- the origins of his resilience and his will to live. Through recollections of his childhood, the close bond with his family, his pursuit of physical and spiritual liberation, I got to know Aron. I got to like him, to admire him... yet when it comes to his rescue and the countless friends and family who suffered not knowing where he was, I felt a little angry at him as well.

He was smarter than this -- not the accident itself, that was unforeseeable, but the not letting anyone know where he was. Makes you realise that even in the safest of situations (and this was 'safe' for Aron), anything can go wrong. Let people know where you are -- it doesn't detract from the experience.

The imagery in this book is stunning. Aron is a born story-teller. I *am* with him in the desert, on the mountain, being chased by a hungry bear, skiiing slopes, out-racing avalanches. At no point does this story lapse into droll description, every line sparks with originality and evocative imagery. I felt as though I were sitting around a campfire listening to him speak. It tells much of a human spirit, the courage of a man to live. He loves life, and isn't afraid to take calculated risks, but he's not on a death-wish.

This story also hammers home Aron's ability to withstand suffering and pain... yet, interestingly, once rescued and recuperating (which is a whole other battle in itself when he falls victim to potentially deadly infection), Aron's pain threshold fails him. Even though he's maxed out on morphine, drugs, he can't find a reprieve from the pain. Is it because he knows he's safe and he's exhausted and just needs it to be over. Because in that slot canyon, as he's slowly dying, pain is secondary to survival.

I'd recommend this novel to anyone. The actual amputation scene didn't gross me out. Surprisingly. Earlier attempts he made to sever his arm, however, did make me squirm. Maybe, by the end of the story, after sitting with him for so long, I needed him to be free and the physical price for that was acceptable. If this were me though, I'd not be able to do it. I wonder if Aron ever thought about this, maybe he had, because even early on, he knew amputation was an option.