Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas

Synopsis: A work of narrative non-fiction, Lost in the Valley of Death tells the story of Justin Alexander Shetler, a 35 year old American who disappeared in the Parvati Valley of India. He is but one of at least two dozen tourists who have disappeared in this area in the last few decades. Multiple hypotheses! Maybe suicide, maybe a victim of foul play, maybe a victim of drugs, maybe just wanted to detach from the world and not be found. The author of this book is clearly enamored by this one specific individual, but is not able to provide a clear story of what happened. Justin Shetler had a large social media following, so we have a trail of sorts, as he travels to India on some sort of spiritual journey. He encounters a sadhu, or Indian holy man (or charlatan depending on your view), and embarks on a trip to a distant lake, but never returns. Harley Rustad takes a deep dive into the story to try and sort it out……

Review: I’ve taken some time to think about this story, and about this book, before deciding what kind of review to give. My initial reaction was not favorable, as I found Justin Shetler to be a narcissistic, self important phony. This was a guy who just seemed to have a deep desire for being the center of attention, and it’s not a trait that I find particularly appealing. He meticulously curated his social media following, populating his adventuresofjustin Instagram with moody—and shirtless— self portraits. All of that “seeking and searching”,,,,, who was that for, really? I couldn’t figure out if the social media persona was authentic, or just for the “likes.” The author drew frequent comparisons to Christopher McCandless (of Into the Wild fame), which only increased my antipathy as McCandless was another vagabond that I found to be smug and too self impressed. HOWEVER, having said all that, this book gave me a lot to think about, and that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a book! What is the psychology of “the seeker?” People driven to look outside of themselves for something to give life meaning I guess. It also made me wonder about myself—what is it about these characters that I find so irritating? What does that say about me? In the end, I’ll give this a thumbs up for stimulating a lot of thought and questions.

Rating: 4/5

Recipe: Full disclosure: I did not read this book just to have an excuse to cook Indian food, even though I love Indian food! Until I encountered Urvashi Pitre, Indian food was largely just take out for me. Dr Pitre is known as the “Butter Chicken Lady” and author of several cookbooks. I happened upon her Indian Instant Pot cookbook and fell in love. Butter chicken is the hook that got me in, but the whole cook book is great.

Ingredients

14 ounce can of diced tomatoes

5-6 cloves of garlic

1-2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprike

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon cumin

1 pound boneless chicken thighs

4 ounces butter

4 ounces heavy cream

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1). Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot in the order listed except for the butter, cream and 1 teaspoon garam masala, mixing the sauce well before placing the chicken on top.

2) close the cooker and et for 10 minutes on high, and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure

3) Remove chicken and set aside

4) Blend remaining ingredients together using immersion blender.

5) Add butter, cream, cilantro, and remaining garam masala if you wish (though I find that a bit much)

6) Add the chicken back in, serve over rice or zucchini noodles