Edge of the Map

March 1, 2020

Journalist Garton presents a vivid, intriguing story of Christine Boskoff (1967-2006) through firsthand interviews with the climber's friends and family. Boskoff's story begins with her childhood in Appleton Wisconsin, and continues through her college years and later interest in adventure. Garton explains how Boskoff left a job at Lockheed Martin, engineering flight simulators, to go on expeditions with partner and fellow climber Keith Boskoff. The author describes the impact of Keith's suicide, as well as her subject's subsequent relationship with climbing partner Charlie Fowler. Throughout her career, Boskoff summitted various peaks, including Mount Everest, Cho Oyu, Gasherbrum II, Lhotse, Shishapangma, and Broad Peak. The book specifically focuses on Boskoff and Fowler's disappearance in 2006, during a climb in the Sichuan province of China. Their bodies were found months later; their deaths are believed to have been caused by an avalanche. VERDICT An absorbing, unputdownable book about an intrepid climber and pioneer in high-altitude mountaineering. By including accounts from those who accompanied Boskoff on various climbing expeditions, this work serves as a wonderful tribute to her life and enduring legacy.--Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Queens Village, NY

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