Young Vikram Karanth joins a motley crew--of sharp city slicks, poetic clerks and army roughnecks--to climb a Himalayan peak. An enigmatic lama queries their motives, and Vikram speculates about mountains and masculinity. The book deconstructs the ethos of a distinctively masculine sport in a gentle undertone. This witty and lyrical novel of adventure in the Himalayas is from one of the most original contemporary voices in Indian writing.