DIXON, DESCENDING

Two Black American brothers push themselves to the top of the world.

This debut novel tells the story of Dixon Bryant, a middle-class and rather ordinary man who embarks on a quest to climb Mt. Everest with his charismatic brother, Nate. A complex history of sibling rivalry pushes the two into perilous risk-taking, ultimately leading to tragedy. The narrative alternates between the brothers’ time on the mountain and Dixon’s life before and after his Himalayan adventure. A subtle portrait emerges of a man whose career as a middle school psychologist in suburban Maryland is rewarding but can’t quell deep-seated feelings of inadequacy. Having missed athletic glory by the tiniest of margins in his youth, Dixon seeks confirmation of his distinctiveness in becoming one of the first African American men to summit Everest. Dixon’s feelings about the potential achievement are deeply personal while also linked to broader thoughts about American racism and the nation’s exclusionary promises of freedom: “Black men on Everest, which was to say freed men. Because their burdens here were of their own making.” Returning home after his ascent, Dixon begins the difficult process of managing the trauma he experienced on the mountain, and he commits himself to helping his students however he can. The author’s handling of the novel’s themes of simmering resentment, crushing failure, and precarious redemption is skillful and absorbing, and she generates real suspense in the unfolding of the book’s mysteries. Particularly striking are Dixon’s well-intentioned but bumbling interactions with two of his students, neither of whom has he managed to mentor successfully. Memorable, too, are Outen’s descriptions of the mountain environment—brought to life through copious detail—and the culture of extreme adventurism, with its dangerous mix of competitive recklessness and commercial exploitation.

A haunting story of ambition, guilt, and personal salvation.