BOOK OF THE WEEK

Madhouse At The End Of The Earth by Julian Sancton, Penguin, £9.99

This debut work by American journalist Julian Sancton is a powerful nonfiction narrative of resilience, resourcefulness and hope. Thoroughly researched, Sancton transforms intriguing historical data into a captivating adventure story with charismatic characters and plot twists that seasoned novelists would envy.

The setting of 19th Century Antarctica provides the literary canvas as Sancton weaves us through different time warps, beginning with a meeting in Leavenworth Prison, Kansas, in January 1926, between the two men who will become his lead protagonists, before whisking us further back to the launch of the Belgica at Antwerp in 1897. The prisoner was Frederick Cook, the ship’s doctor, and photographer; his visitor, the now famous Norwegian explorer, Roald Amusden.

The book is split into two sections. The first concentrates on preparations for the expedition,

and the numerous setbacks encountered on the way.

The epic struggle for survival that ensued after the Belgian commandant, 31-year-old Adrien de Gerlache, deliberately steers the ship into the Antarctic winter, provides the drama in part 2.

The atmospheric description of Antwerp Harbour captures the excitement and anticipation of a small nation on the verge of great discoveries but tension builds, particularly between Belgians and Norwegians, flagging up future challenges for the commandant and his officers. Dr Cook is the sole American in the multi-national crew.

Reflecting on how literature portrays Antarctica as the end of Earth, where madness creeps in, Sancton lures us deeper into the perilous voyage. Storms, near shipwrecks and cinematic land-and-seascapes are

portrayed with gripping detail as adversity begins to bring men together, until the crew shoot an albatross and their luck turns. Fantastical constellations, ethereal light, ghostly ships and emotional scenes, bring men together when they first encounter the

Antarctic, but fears of disease, depression, madness, murder, suicide and death, alongside betrayal and tragedy, transform the expedition into a heroic struggle to escape the threat of a second Antarctic winter. Relationships are a key theme and the bond that formed between Cook and Amundsen is one of the most alluring aspects of the account, which, if you’re anything like me, you will not be able to close until you know the outcome!