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  • Lost in the Valley of Death

  • A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas
  • Written by: Harley Rustad
  • Narrated by: Harley Rustad
  • Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (48 ratings)

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Lost in the Valley of Death

Written by: Harley Rustad
Narrated by: Harley Rustad
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Publisher's Summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
ONE OF CBC'S BEST CANADIAN NONFICTION BOOKS OF 2022

For fans of Jon Krakauer's
Into the Wild, the riveting story of the unsolved disappearance of an American backpacker in India—one of at least two dozen tourists who have met a similar fate in the remote and storied Parvati Valley.

For centuries, India has enthralled Westerners looking for an exotic getaway, a brief immersion in yoga and meditation, or, in rare cases, a true pilgrimage to find spiritual revelation. Justin Alexander Shetler, an inveterate traveler trained in wilderness survival, was one such seeker.
    In his early thirties, Justin quit his job at a tech startup and set out on a global journey—across the United States by motorcycle, then down to South America, and on to the Philippines, Thailand, and Nepal—in search of authentic experiences and meaningful encounters while documenting his travels on Instagram. His enigmatic character and magnetic personality gained him a devoted following who lived vicariously through his adventures. But the ever-restless explorer was driven to seek out ever-greater extremes, and greater risks, in what had become a personal quest—his own hero’s journey.
    In 2016, he made his way to the Parvati Valley, a remote and rugged corner of the Indian Himalayas steeped in mystical tradition and shrouded in darkness and danger. There he spent weeks studying under the guidance of a sadhu, an Indian holy man, living and meditating in a cave. At the end of August, accompanied by the sadhu, he set off on a spiritual journey to a holy lake—one from which he would never return.
Lost in the Valley of Death is about one man’s search to find himself, in a country where, for many Westerners, the path to spiritual enlightenment can prove fraught, even treacherous. But it is also a story about all of us and the ways, sometimes extreme, we seek fulfillment in life.

©2022 Harley Rustad (P)2022 Knopf Canada

What the critics say

2022, Banff Mountain Book Festival Award, Nominated

“Rustad proves himself here to be a masterful storyteller, unfolding character, plot, suspense, pathos, bathos and half a dozen other Greek nouns so meticulously that you’re not going to want to put this book down.”—Toronto Star 

“A nuanced and gripping account.... The latest in a rich seam of travel writing that captures the curiosity and hubris of the planet’s most restless souls.”Financial Times 

"[F]ascinating. . . . [Rustad is] such a sure-handed raconteur and we can’t look away. . . . By patient accumulation of anecdote and detail, Rustad evolves Shetler’s story into something much more human, and humanly tragic, into a layered inquisition and a reportorial force that pushes Shetler . . . into a technicolor mystery. . . . [S]uffice it to say Rustad has done what the best storytellers do: tried to track the story to its last twig and then stepped aside.”The New York Times Book Review

What listeners say about Lost in the Valley of Death

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Amazing!

Such a well researched, detailed, and fascinating book. The best non fiction book I’ve read/listened to in a long time!

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A peaceful and thorough ending to a case without a documented ending - relentless

I loved this read. A thorough and peaceful meander through India, through the eyes of a man who found a way to transcend human form and first world comforts. A splendid testament to those who seek transcendence and JA’s memory.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Insight into persons obsession.

I loved learning about Justin in about the way he lived his life. It’s amazing to have such an incredible passion for life and travel.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Boring

This is a perfect example of why an author should not read his own material.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Superb!

This will be a book I'll listen to again and again. Caused me to turn inward and do my own spiritual reflection.

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Fantastic!

Riveting story! Wonderfully told! Meticulously researched! Excellent book! I cannot imagine organizing this much research into a story. Bravo! Excellent book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A captivating reading journey

I have been absolutely mesmerized by this book for the past 3 weeks. I started with the audio book (a wonderful book to listen to and nice to hear the authors voice). In following the story I was quickly taken down the rabbit hole of looking up more information on the internet to sift through and follow the still preserved profiles of Justin Alexander, and to more deeply explore regions I have yet to travel. I then purchased the book to read again, and share with friends.

Harley Rustad has clearly researched this story in intricate detail and with a solid cultural and geographical sensibility (since they have also traveled to many of the same regions). What struck me most about their writing is their ability to describe people, places and situations so clearly and beautifully. In many ways this story, as written by Rustad, reads as a gesture of love to a human life lived to the fullest. He does not shy away from exploring Justin's strengths or weaknesses , but instead presents these very human aspects as parts of the whole person, the whole picture, and the whole story. I felt as though in some small way I knew Justin Alexander, and at the end of the book I also mourned the unexplained loss of a soul striving to burn bright.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Very well researched, written and read.

I’ve travelled to India and Nepal and climbed the pass in the Annapurna Range in 1986 mentioned in the story. Justin did it in flip flops which is pretty amazing. Many of his adventures and survival skills are impressive and any traveller will enjoy hearing them. The author blends the historical and spiritual aspects of the east very well. Thanks for writing this book which I strongly recommend.

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