In The Shadow of the Mountain

WINNER OF THE 2023 EDWARD STANFORD TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR

‘Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a warrior. I’m in awe of her strength and courage’ – Selena Gomez

‘An incredibly powerful story’ Sunday Independent

‘In the Shadow of the Mountain has all the elements a great memoir requires – a strong voice, cinematic prose, a hero to root for – in essence, an extraordinary story about an extraordinary woman’s life’ – San Francisco Chronicle

‘Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a woman possessed of uncommon strength, rare compassion, and a ferocious stubbornness to not allow the trauma of her childhood to destroy her life’ – Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

‘Powerful’ – New York Times

YOU DON’T CONQUER A MOUNTAIN. YOU SURRENDER TO IT ONE STEP AT A TIME.

Despite a high-flying career, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado knew she was hanging by a thread. Deep in the throes of alcoholism, and hiding her sexuality from her family, she was repressing the abuse she’d suffered as a child.

When her mother called her home to Peru, she knew something finally had to change. It did. Silvia began to climb.

Something about the sheer size of the mountains, the vast emptiness and the nearness of death, woke her up. And then, she took her biggest pain to the biggest mountain: Everest. The ‘Mother of the World’ allows few to reach her summit, but Silvia didn’t go alone. Trekking with her to Base Camp, were five troubled young women on an odyssey that helped each confront their personal trauma, and whose strength and community propelled Silvia forward…

Beautifully written and deeply moving, In the Shadow of the Mountain is a remarkable story of compassion, humility, and strength, inspiring us all to find have faith in our own heroism and resilience.