Beyond the summit

Literary fiction set in the Everest region in 1968 when the recent influx of tourism challenges traditions, friendships, and economics. Conflict between generations arises when the young desire what foreigners bring. The story includes an Everest expedition from a porter's point of view, Buddhist and animist rituals, Sherpa culture, Tibetan refugees, a love affair between an American journalist and Sherpa guide. It's the only work to dramatize the lives of Sherpas in fiction.