Lost in the Valley of Death
A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas
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Lost in the Valley of Death
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Narrated by:
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Harley Rustad
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Written by:
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Harley Rustad
About this listen
2022 Banff Mountain Book Festival Award, Nominated
2023 The Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence - The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book, Short-listed
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.
What the critics say
NAMED A BEST CANADIAN NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE CBC
“[Rustad is] such a sure-handed raconteur . . . 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. . . . Suffice 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
“Rustad proves himself here to be a masterful storyteller . . . 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
What listeners say about Lost in the Valley of Death
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kerry
- 2023-11-21
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Blair Mann
- 2022-02-10
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AGoodKaren
- 2022-02-09
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Camille Belzil
- 2022-01-23
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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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-02-11
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Escape artist
- 2022-02-01
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jodi T.
- 2024-03-05
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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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- C. Bielech
- 2022-03-18
Boring
This is a perfect example of why an author should not read his own material.
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