Cold Earth by Sarah Moss

DATE PUBLISHED: 2009 DATE READ: July 2009 NOTES: A group of six young archaeologists go to the shores of Greenland to investigate the site of a group who seem to have left in a hurry. They have left behind a world through which some sort of epidemic is sweeping – but no-one knows how serious this is. They have only a short time to spend on the dig as winter is on the way and they only have a limited amount of food and fuel. But soon their internet links fail and they seem to be cut off from the outside world. The gathering tension works well and the author conveyed the life they were leading very well. Although there is an underlying seriousness much of the dialogue and observations are witty and sharp. As the food runs out and the plane to relieve them fails to arrive the group begins to disintegrate and friendships splinter apart. Each chapter is told by a different member of the group. This technique works pretty well – though I would have like more differentiation between some of the narrative voices. This is a very accomplished debut novel and I will certainly look out for her future work.