Spanish / Spain
Reyes de la montaña
(Kings of the mountain)
Hernández Chambers, Daniel
(text)
Barcelona: Edebé, 2024. – 238 p.
ISBN 978-84-683-7014-9
Survival | Group dynamics | Isolation | Mountains | Group psychology | Human nature
Reading age: 14+
White Ravens issue: 2025
Daniel Hernández Chambers’s prize-winning novel revolves around the question of how people act when familiar structures collapse. Ten young people living in a juvenile detention centre because they come from troubled families, have experienced neglect, or have been knocked off balance due to the use of violence and drugs, take an excursion into the mountains with their guardian. This turns into an extreme test of their resilience, for in order to shield themselves from a deadly virus that is spreading they are suddenly isolated from the outside world and must learn to survive in the wild. At times there is solidarity, but there are also fierce conflicts, and naked egoism comes to the surface. The novel, which gives a nod to classics like »Lord of the Flies«, is told in a gripping manner and convincing in its characterisation as well. The protagonists are not one-dimensional heroes; they come across as credible because of their doubts, weaknesses, inner conflicts, and longing for recognition and belonging. [JW]