by Charles Martin
Publisher: Broadway Books, June 28, 2011
After seeing the movie trailer for The Mountain Between Us I knew I had to read the book. This isn't typically my kind of book but the trailer looked interesting and I always have to read the book before watching the movie.
Ben is a doctor returning home from a conference and Ashley is a journalist trying to get home days before her wedding. While waiting at the airport the two strike up a conversation and this is where we first learn a little bit about the main characters. Due to a snow storm their flight is cancelled. On his way to a hotel Ben sees a private airport and decides to see if he can get a charter flight. As luck would have it, the pilot agrees to take him. Ben goes back to find Ashley to see if she would like to join him. As they are flying over the Utah mountains the pilot has a heart attack and the plane crashes. This is where the story really begins.
As Ben wakes up after the crash he slowly realizes the situation they're in. The pilot is dead, the plane is in pieces, Ashley appears to have a broken leg and multiple cuts, and he has a couple broken ribs along with some cuts and bruises too. The pilot did not have a flight plan and neither Ben nor Ashley told anyone they were going on this plane. So now they are stranded and no one even knows they took this flight or where they are. They are stranded with no hope of help coming.
Because of Ashley's broken leg it's up to Ben to do pretty much everything. He has to find them food, shelter, and figure out how to get out of there. Now this is where it gets a little unbelievable for me. I'll take the chance meeting, the plane crash and all but as it turns out Ben is Super Survival Man. He just happens to know how to make snow shoes and cut up pieces of an airplane to use as a sled and navigate these harsh mountains. Oh, and he can hunt and fish. And it just so happens he has a compass and jet boil and sleeping bags, among other things because he likes to go climbing in his spare time. Mhm, sure. But anyways, I can look past all that because it was actually a great story! The bond that these two developed was really the center of it. Ashley is totally dependant on Ben and he is determined to get both of them out of there alive. The face so many obstacles together and come out of it with a new perspective on life and love.
I can't say I'll be reading any other books by Charles Martin but this one was fantastic! If you're into romance or adventure and survival books, or even if you thought the movie trailer looked interesting you should definitely pick this one up!
