Cold earth
By: Sarah Moss.
Publisher: Granta
Published: 2009
Place of publication: London [England]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 280
ISBN-13: 9781847080608
Subjects: Archaeologists -- Greenland -- Fiction; Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc. -- Greenland -- Fiction; Greenland -- Fiction
Genres: Fiction
Description: Six young people meet on an archaeological dig in a remote corner of Greenland. Excavating the unsettling remains of a Norse society under attack, they also come to uncover some of their own demons, as it becomes apparent that a plague pandemic is sweeping across the planet and communication with the outside world is breaking down. Increasingly unsure whether their missives will ever reach their destination, each of the characters writes a letter to someone close to them, trying to make sense of their situation and expressing their fears and dwindling hope of ever getting back home...In fluid, witty prose, Moss weaves a rich tapestry of personal narratives, history, ghost stories, love stories, stories of grief and naked survival. Through these missives, the author explores themes that are at the very heart of our existence: What do people do in extremis? What do they think when faced with near-certain death? How do the group dynamics shift under such strain?