You're right, it's not specifically about suicide, but here's an excerpt from the official Amazon.com review of the book. Guess we looked at different reviews. It would be disingenuous to say that the book is your average book on mountains... clearly it does regale the deaths of hikers. I don't think you can read this summary and not consider it more deeply in the context of Maura's troubles and how she was heading to the mountains + in what light she herself considered them. JUst from reading this excerpt I can completely see how a person might romanticize death in the mountains.
Underlying Not Without Peril is the not-so-subtle message that the Presidential Range, topping out at just over 6,000 feet, is as uncompromising as any other mountain range. After all, these mountains--named for Washington, Lincoln, Madison--are home to some of the most vicious weather recorded on the planet. Howe makes no judgment about those whose misfortunes he chronicles; there are tender moments that manage to stay faithful to a crusty Yankee sensibility, as in the tale of Lizzie Bourne, who died in a snowstorm while huddled in a makeshift lean-to. Howe quotes her uncle George: "She was dead--had uttered no complaint, expressed no regret or fear, but passed silently away." Such sober tales, scrupulously researched, tell the history of a mountain range and its climbers, some of whom are immortalized for their ill-fated treks. It's a gritty read, a touch morbid, but more than compensated for by sharp writing and compelling drama.
