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OLDER FICTION
Levy, Dana Alison

Above All Else

320 pp. | Charlesbridge Teen | October, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-62354-140-8 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-63289-913-2 $10.99
(2) YA Equal parts high-stakes adventure and introspective teen drama, Levy's (The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, rev. 9/14, and other middle-grade novels) YA debut is an examination of a commercialized natural world and the burden of unchecked expectations. In fast-paced, alternating first-person chapters, readers follow two teenaged best friends as they attempt to summit Mount Everest. Tate, unfocused and brash, is (to his chagrin) known as the "Master of Disaster," while Rose is calculated and driven. Though both protagonists are seasoned climbers, their ascent becomes increasingly complicated--most notably by Tate's debilitating PTSD after a recent fall, Rose's nonstop fear (identified as "the Dread") for her sick mother, and the normally platonic pair's burgeoning sexual relationship. A large cast of secondary characters weaves in and out of the story, providing effective springboards to address issues such as racism, sexism, labor exploitation, and mental health. A confluence of events at the novel's climax pushes Tate and Rose apart and past their preconceived limits, with tragic results that call into question the ethics of their once-shared goal. A hopeful epilogue narrated by Tate balances out the harrowing conclusion; back matter includes information about the Sherpa people and an author's note with further reading.
Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

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