Antarctica by Laura Van Den Berg, 2013
The magic trick:
Taking familiar topics that an author can feel expert in and placing them in a foreign setting
This is a bit of a cheat as far as the magic tricks go, because Laura Van Den Berg herself discussed what made “Antarctica” tick in this excellent article on The Story Prize blog. Essentially, she wanted to write a story set in Antarctica, but she didn’t know much at all about Antarctica. That can make things tough. So this story, while detailing a woman traveling to Antarctica in the aftermath of her brother’s death there, also trods more familiar territory – family relationships, love, longing, loss.
Now, suddenly the Antarctica sections don’t feel shaky in their foreignness; they feel interestingly remote when paired with the expertly detailed human emotions material. It’s a great combination.
And that’s quite a trick on Van Den Berg’s part.
The selection:
“I’ve had too much ice time,” he said. “I’ve gotten too used to the way this place can swallow people up.” In his first month in Antarctica, two of his colleagues hiked to a subglacial lake and fell through the ice into a cavern. By the time they were rescued, their bodies were eaten up with frostbite. One lost a hand, the other a leg.
“So it’s Antarctica’s fault you’re an asshole?” I said.
“I blame everything on Antarctica,” he said. “Just ask my ex-wife.”
“Divorced!” I said. “What a surprise.”
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