June 2010

Author/s: Geraldine McCaughrean
Publisher: Oxford University Press UK
Reviewed by: Esta Burger Age: 15
ISBN 13: 9780192726186

Captain Oates, or Titus, has always been with Sym since her father died. Lawrence Oates, the ultimate hero of the Antarctic, and his race into nothingness. To Sym he is everything, perfect and crystal-clear as he talks with her, sits beside her and goes with her wherever she goes. Although he crawled to his death in 1912 in a raging blizzard in the South Pole, he is still alive in Sym’s head.

Sym never knew why her father died, because she always thought he didn’t love her. Her mother was suffering financially after her husband’s death, so Uncle Victor came to live with Sym and her mother. The Fount of All Knowledge, that was Uncle Victor’s nickname in Sym’s small family. Since she was a child, Sym knew Uncle Victor was extremely clever. He always bought her books of the Antarctic, the place she loves the most, and so she soaked up all there was to know about Titus, her lovely Titus. One day Uncle Victor plans a trip for Sym, her mother and himself to go to Paris. Sym is excited, at least it is better than school. At the train station her mother’s passport is nowhere to be found. At the hotel in Paris, Sym finds her mother’s passport in her Uncle’s coat pocket. She cannot tell her uncle, because he wasn’t someone that could accept that he made a mistake. To Sym’s absolute joy her uncle declares that they are going to her very favourite place in the whole world: the Antarctic ice. But in Antarctica strange things happen. Who are Manfred and his polished son, Sigurd? And why is Sigurd looking interested in Sym, when she’s never been a favourite among boys? If Titus can’t answer questions she doesn’t know the answers of, then obviously he doesn’t exist, or does he?

Piece by piece the puzzle of Sym’s uncle and the missing parts of her life fall together as she, her uncle, Manfred and Sigurd set off on a perilous journey across the ice, to find the place she was named after, her father’s life-long obsession and the reason for her hearing aid. She needs Titus to help her survive when their vehicle is stolen and their tent blown away. She just needs someone to love. But why does he answer the one thing neither Sym nor anyone else in the world could possibly know? The vastness of the ice makes Sym scared and she experiences the white darkness. There is so much whiteness that you cannot see anymore. She loses track of time, herself and her life. And everything is threatening her perfect illusion of Captain Oates – even Oates himself.

I’m not going to tell what happens further on in the story! This is a very extreme adventure. It has a lot of detail about what Antarctica looks like and exactly how Sym feels. The book describes a lot of emotions: hatred, anger, sadness, despair, treachery and much more. I liked The White Darkness a lot. I think it is a brilliant book!

I would definitely recommend it to any teenager that is into serious reading. It’s a deep book; terrifying and very sad. It makes you think a lot. To me it was a unique experience.

Link to online catalogue
The White Darkness