I’m quite obsessed with Antarctica and love historical non-fiction, so this was an obvious choice for me. The book’s subtitle – ‘The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night’ sold it to me instantly!
This is the story of the Belgica, a ship that set sail from Belgium in 1897 with the aim of discovering Antarctica. At this point in history, the Arctic had been explored to some extent but the southern pole was still very much a mystery – it wasn’t even known if it was land or just ice.
With scientific exploration in mind, Belgian Adrian de Gerlache de Gomery purchased a whaling ship and prepared to head for Antarctica. It was far from an easy road to launch as he struggled to secure funding and a crew prepared to take on the epic and dangerous journey – all of which is covered in the first sections of the book.
However, it is once the Belgica reaches Antarctica that this book really becomes utterly compelling. Gerlache sailed the ship into the pack ice and – it seems intentionally – trapped the Belgica for the long, dark winter in a move that contradicted previous plans to spend the coldest months in Australia.
Faced with 24 hour darkness, the ship’s crew begin to deteriorate in physical and mental health – hence the ‘Madhouse’ of the title. As the sailors – including Gerlache – sickened, two of the crew took charge. One of these was Roald Amundsen, later to become a celebrated Norwegian explorer in his own right, who comes across in this book as a tough (and slightly crazy) man who deliberately sought out some extreme challenges. The other was Frederick Cook, an American doctor who did much good on board the Belgica but whose subsequent career was more chequered (to say the least!)
Although a lot of the book focuses on the central trio of Gerlache, Amundsen and Cook, the reader is also guided through challenges faced in the months of freezing total darkness – especially the sun-deprivation and the effects of the crew’s limited diets. A lot of penguins and seals – spoiler alert – don’t make it, and this is a grim read for animal lovers (that poor cat!)
This is a fascinating read as the danger that the Belgica was in is tangible at key points in the book – previous ships had been crushed by the pack ice and sailors lost. There is also a sense of creeping dread as the crew become sicker, the winter seems endless and contemporary scientific knowledge isn’t up to knowing how to fix things.
I listened to the audiobook which is well narrated by Vikas Adam with suitable solemnity and emphasis – the tense bits were really tense! I’d recommend the audiobook, although (as usual for me) I wanted to see the photos being described (Cook was a keen photographer) and spent a lot of time googling the various figures. I’m not sure if the print copy has photos but – if so – this would be a major selling point!
This was an important expedition – a lot of Antarctica still bears the names given by the Belgica voyage, for example the Gerlache Strait – and Sancton has done an excellent job of bringing it to life. This is a meticulously-researched and immersive book – and one I recommend wholeheartedly.
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Header photo by James Eades on Unsplash
