Sarah Moss's Cold Earth is a chillingly effective reminder of the vulnerability of the human condition, and the fragility of the psyche; and proves once again that what doesn't happen is often more disturbing than the violence achieved from whatever does. Suspense is the blood of this book, made all the more haunting against the stark and barren tundra of Greenland.

Cold Earth

Cold Earth follows a group of academics on an archaeological assignment involving the examining and exhuming of a centuries old Viking settlement and the history beneath it; and the physiological and psychological adversities which slowly begin to erode the group's complacency.

Stylistically speaking, the book is wonderfully readable. Moss establishes the groundwork for the story without simultaneously trying to plunge into the drama, which is often a detriment to the feeling of authenticity of certain novels. She also manages to bypass, fortunately, the pretension which too frequently those new to (and occasionally those well-acquainted with) writing fall prey, which can mare the integrity of the prose and irritate the reader.

Simple and Sincere

Moss does not use the novel as a means of glorifying her role as a writer, employing unnecessarily long words and contrived bon mots, but writes simply and sincerely. There are times when one might feel that the prose could do with slightly more colour: some of the descriptions are over-used, while others have a touch of the cliché to them, making them more a distracting debris than a means to draw the reader deeper into the atmosphere of the setting. However, these moments are infrequent and do not ruin the enjoyment of reading.

The cast of the drama is made up of six, and it is through their eyes directly that the reader has access to the events of the novel, as each part or chapter of the book is presented as the letter/diary entry of one of the characters. In principle this device is effective, as it gives diversity and 'freshness' to the narration, allowing the reader different perspectives on the story, while, interestingly, putting him/herself against the narrator he or she had previously sympathised with, and allowing new sympathies to grow.

One Voice

There is a little danger, though, in this approach, which Moss doesn’t quite save herself from. The nature of each narrator's thoughts needs to be different from the others, in order to authenticate each personality; there is a large difference between establishing a character through the eyes of another person, and establishing a character through the voice of the character, rendering it necessary for the author to make sure that he or she gives each narrator a different voice and different progression of thoughts, which is a particularly difficult tricks to master as it requires a constant checking of style.

Regrettably, beyond superficial differences in personality (such as likes, temperaments, opinions) one feels that there is only ever one voice speaking through each of the diary entries that make up Cold Earth.

Gripping, Cold Suspense

The overall success of the novel, though, is gained from Moss’s eerie ability to subtly weave a gripping, cold suspense, which one doesn’t even realise is happening until one is already caught in the icy web. Moss brings together elements that, individually, may be disregarded, but which gradually heighten tensions to near breaking point.

There is a consistent enforcement of the extremities of the Greenlandic elements and the imminent presence of a harsh winter, which, together with a complete and utter isolation from civilisation, serves as a powerful force against morale.

Supernatural Presence

Moss intensifies the isolation itself with the ever-present concern of the characters over growing global reports of an unknown sickness, and discord within the relations of the group are sewn through one member’s growing conviction that the expedition has woken a supernatural presence, the evidence of which Moss, refreshingly, neither gives too little of to be believed, nor too much of to be credited, allowing only a growing uncertainty to strangle psychological well-being.

Cold Earth is much more than just a worthwhile read, but a haunting depiction of humanity’s meekness in Natures over-powering presence, and should be consumed by any lover of well-written fiction. Despite the novel’s few benign flaws, Moss manages both to keep one on the edge of ones seat, as well as force one to re-evaluate the presumed omnipotence of humanity.

Cold Earth by Sarah Moss is published by Granta Books and distributed by Penguin Books South Africa. Highly recommended.