Whiteout

Chilling, atmospheric, tense, and riveting, Whiteout: A Thriller wowed me with this tale of isolation, survival, reflection, relationships, and science. Whew! I love, love, love books set in cold and snowy places. I also love books that have a ‘trapped’ feeling and a quest for survival. R.S. Burnett nailed it with Whiteout: A Thriller and it’s the freezing, dark, and bitter cold setting in Antarctica!

Glaciologist Rachael Becket decided to leave the warmth of her home with her husband, Adam and their baby daughter, Izzy. Her husband warns her about the horrific winters in Antarctica. How darkness and isolation play with one’s mind. He doesn’t want her to go, but Rachel is determined to do so. She is a scientist and when presented with alarming data, knows she can weather any storm.

Antarctica in the summer is not walk in the park, but in winter…. Well, it’s no winter wonderland. It is unforgiving, deadly, dark, and so very cold. When she loses contact with the outside world and with a BBC emergency radio broadcast reporting a nuclear war, she knows that she just might be one of the last people on earth. It’s cold, she’s lonely, she’s hungry, and then things go from bad to worse.

I loved how atmospheric this book felt. I could feel the chill and Rachel’s desperation jumping from the pages. The loneliness and her reflections back on her life when she was spending time with her daughter and husband were palpable. She has only her research to cling to as she has no idea what the fate of her family and the world might be. Survival becomes the name of the game!

Holy Moly! I can’t even imagine the cold and unforgiving winter conditions that she was enduring. Antarctica is very much a character in this book as well. I thought the author nailed the effect that isolation, lack of light, and contact with others has on individuals. The vivid descriptions and scenes in addition to Rachel’s fight to stay alive, there were some intense scenes which had my heart beating quite fast a few times while reading.

I loved the tension, the twists, the quest for survival, the descriptions, and the way Rachel reflected on her life and the days leading up to her leaving to go to Antarctica. Her journal entries were also a very nice touch, and I loved reading them as a means to get into Rachel’s mind and inner thoughts.

Chilling, dark, tense, and atmospheric!

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.