When they said write what you know, Trish McCormack got the memo. Growing up at the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand, and having worked in various national parks in NZ, her settings are always gloriously depicted. In this case Mt Cook is the central location, with two timelines wind through the story of Kath, her family, and her disappearance.
The two timelines are 1946 - when a volatile Stella is hired as mountain guide, vowing never to return to the more expected domestic life of a woman. She roams the Southern Alps, alongside her mentor Philip and a troubled returned soldier Jim, reveling in the freedom their work life gives them, but a tragedy at that time threatens everything they love.
In 2019 veteran journalist Kath walks away from her life, leaving behind old mountaineering photographs, and not a lot of other clues as to why she has suddenly disappeared. When her daughters, journalist Robin, and alpine guide Helen, discover a deathbed confession, they then have to work out how that connects to Kath's own disappearance. Which needless to say weaves its way back in time to the story of Stella, Philip and Jim.
I say needless to say, because it's obvious that there must be some connection, otherwise why the two timelines, but what and how or even why is not clear at all. What is clear is the way that the two timelines are executed really well, never confusing or bamboozling the reader, always moving the story forward, despite the necessary backward steps.
The author has blended historical and crime fiction here, with what almost reads like a travel guide to a wonderful location, which frankly is almost as big a character as the people in this story. Never detracting from the story of these multiple generations though, it's quite evocative to think of something dreadful happening in such a peaceful, welcoming place though.
Notable as well that despite the presence of Philip and Jim, this is a story of the women - their capacity and competency, and their connections.
Girl of the Mountains
All she had to do now was disappear.
The Hermitage Mt Cook, New Zealand, 1946 When the volatile Stella is hired as a mountain guide she vows never to return to a life of domesticity below the snowline. With her mentor Philip and troubled returned soldier Jim she roams the Southern Alps finding freedom in her unconventional career. But Stella and her friends are powerless to prevent a tragedy which will shatter their lives.
2019 Veteran Wellington journalist Kath walks out of her life leaving behind some puzzling old mountaineering photographs. Her daughters, small-town reporter Robin and alpine guide Helen, learn of a deathbed confession made by their grandmother Sarah decades earlier. But they don’t know if it is linked to Kath’s disappearance. In searching for their mother, they uncover the twisted story of the ill-fated Stella, Philip and Jim and expose the lie at the heart of their family.
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