Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

Once in a while, I find a non-fiction book that grabs my attention. This was that book, I am an avid amateur hiker and always find stories about hiking interesting. Something about the story just hooked me right away. Justin Alexander Shetler was not your average hiker, adventure, explorer or thrill seeker; he was seeking something more, maybe seeking something he could never find.

The author did a wonderful job of not only telling us about Justin Alexander’s life, from childhood to adulthood; but about setting the backdrop in the Parvati valley. The mentions of the other many missing hikers in that area and the many reasons some have gone missing or have chosen to disappear was interesting to say the least. The author made the landscape almost visual for me, his descriptions left with with a good sense of what the area looked like and what the people were like. I have never been to India or the Parvati valley, I have hiked in Peru and found the countryside stunning, raw and untamed. I knew very little about the sadhus,, the holy men; I found this book very informative. The author did a wonderful job of writing this book. It is quite obvious how much research and work was put into this story.

During and after reading this book, I have indulged in Justin Alexander’s Instagram page as well as his other social media postings. I have wanted to put a face to the person, I read many different news articles and find the fact that no trace of Justin was ever found heartbreaking. I pray that Justin Alexander Shetler‘s family has found peace and that Justin found what he was looking for, perhaps not in this world, but the next.

A non fiction account of a man missing in the Indian mountains. This is a worthy story to tell, and there were definitely similarities to Into The Wild with the harshness, deprivation, and extreme solitude and nature. It was a very authentic account in which the author brought this unique story fully to life in every sense. Sometimes I could get a little lost in the descriptions and spiritual anecdotes but mostly I was riveted by the sheer vastness of this journey he was on. It left me enthralled but also clutching to my home comforts in horror. I appreciated when it tied in the with social media posts as it served to somehow ground the story to reality and offer an interesting insight into his mindset and intention. Overall, a very interesting read that leaves you drawing conclusions and pondering over the specifics of the case. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

Harley Rustad’s new book, Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas, recounts the strange and tragic story of one travel blogger’s disappearance into the Himalayan mountains. With journalistic excellence, however, Rustad connects this mystery to a number of other strange disappearances in India, asking important questions about the dangers, motivations, and risks involved in international travel—some of which are unique to India itself.
Rustad’s book centers on the life of American backpacker and travel blogger Justin Alexander Shelter and culminates in Shelter’s unsolved disappearance in India in 2016. With journalistic care and accuracy, Rustad recounts Shelter’s devotion to self-exploration, spirituality, and the wilderness. Even as a child, Shelter was more comfortable in non-traditional learning environments, and Rustad tracks the trajectory of Shelter’s life that led to his presence in India five years ago. Shelter quit his job at a tech start-up and began a global tour first throughout the US and then beyond, to South America, the Philippines, Thailand, Nepal, and, of course, India. Shelter’s journey was somewhat unique because of the following he generated on social media as he travelled. When he reached the Parvati Valley, a remote and notorious area of the Indian Himalayas, Shelter began a spiritual journey that led him on a quest to a holy lake with a sadhu, an Indian holy man. He would never return from that journey, and Rustad recounts the subsequent efforts to find him in miles and miles of wilderness.
What was most compelling for me about this book was not, in fact, its central story. Although Shelter’s life and eventual disappearance is a crucial thread throughout the narrative, and his loss is as tragic as it is mysterious, I was truly compelled by the full picture that Rustad paints of the Parvati Valley and of the Western perception of India in general. I felt that I learned so much from Rustad’s writing in relation to the geography of such a large and varied country, some of its chief mysteries and industries—such as the drug trade—and the startling regularity with which tourists go missing, sometimes under their own power. Rustad paints a picture of a culture of potential danger and disappearance alongside the adoration Westerners have for India.
One of the most interesting aspects of Rustad’s book, which also helps to clarify some of the potential motivations behind the disappearances of Shelter and others, is his discussion of what’s known as ‘India Syndrome.’ The term has its roots in a French psychologist’s studies of French travellers in India. As Rustad writes,
“[The psychologist] began noticing a curious condition in some of the French travelers, particularly among those who had spent longer periods of time in the country: a spectrum of behavioral and psychological changes that later became known as ‘India Syndrome.’ … [He] would be dispatched to examine travelers who had lost their bearings, had become disoriented and confused, or had found themselves in manic and psychotic states. The contrast was shocking. … Initially, what [he] observed was blamed solely on drug use, but many of the travelers were also exhibiting feelings of disorientation in an unfamiliar land or culture. In rare cases, others were later diagnosed with acute psychosis, delirium, and delusion. At its most powerful, India syndrome could be all consuming, leading to a complete detachment from reality from an overwhelming disconnection from familiarity.”
‘India Syndrome,’ different from generalized cultural shock, potentially arises due to emotional and psychological expectations travellers have about the country and what it can do for them spiritually. Although drug use may sometimes be a factor in these episodes, Rustad points out that this is not always the case, and that India Syndrome has counterparts in other countries. Although it is not medically recognized as a diagnosable illness, Rustad writes that “the symptoms have become enough of a concern that insurance companies selling travel packages to India bound tourists have included clauses that void the coverage if the traveler has a psychiatric history or if he or she takes drugs. Several embassies and consulates in India have permanent psychiatrists on staff to address and treat their nationals in distress.” Recounting the history bizarre and unexplainable condition is just one of the ways in which Rustad paints a picture of the cultural reputation of India in relation to why someone such as Shelter might have wanted to travel there, and why he may have chosen to disappear there, too.
But ‘India Syndrome’ is just one of the many theories that surround this case, alongside disorientation, violence, robbery, and death. This case does not have a satisfying ending, and only elicits more questions with Rustad’s every page. In recounting Shelter’s life and his journey to the caves in the Parvati Valley, Rustad’s thorough research—including the knowledge he gained from his own travels to India—shines on every page. While I don’t think that this is a book for everyone—it is far more focused on the cultural influences of spirituality travel than it is on a crime—there is certainly a mystery to be explored here, and Rustad’s clear writing kept me hooked until the very last page.
Please add Lost in the Valley of Death to your Goodreads shelf and follow Harley Rustad on Twitter.
Don’t forget to follow True Crime Index on Twitter and please visit our Goodreads for updates on what we’re reading! You can find Rachel on her personal @RachelMFriars or on Goodreads @Rachel Friars.
About the Writer:
Rachel M. Friars (she/her) is a PhD student in the Department of English Language and Literature at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She holds a BA and an MA in English Literature with a focus on neo-Victorianism and adaptations of Jane Eyre. Her current work centers on neo-Victorianism and nineteenth-century lesbian literature and history, with secondary research interests in life writing, historical fiction, true crime, popular culture, and the Gothic. Her academic writing has been published with Palgrave Macmillan and in The Journal of Neo-Victorian Studies. She is a reviewer for The Lesbrary, the co-creator of True Crime Index, and an Associate Editor and Social Media Coordinator for PopMeC Research Collective. Rachel is co-editor-in-chief of the international literary journal, The Lamp, and regularly publishes her own short fiction and poetry. Find her on Twitter and Goodreads.

Expertly investigated and brilliantly written by Canadian magazine editor and writer Harley Rustad, this was without a doubt one of the best works of nonfiction I’ve ever read. I was immersed from the beginning and held captive until the end while Rustad skilfully revived the story of Justin Alexander Shetler’s disappearance through his chilling prose in this electrifying book.

This story felt deeply personal at times, as I reflected back upon my own solo spiritual journey throughout the Himalayas a few years back, and while engaging with those parts of the book, I felt the hairs on my arms standing at full attention and my breath caught at the back of my throat unwilling to flow, as I thought about what could have been as mine and Shetler’s paths became intertwined.

I especially resonated with the stories of both Australian Ryan Chambers and Irishman Jonathan Spollen, both of whom disappeared in Rishikesh, where I spent a significant amount of my travels in India. It was interesting to read about travellers succumbing to “India syndrome”, which I’m sure cast somewhat of a spell over me while I was there, as I walked barefoot in my white cotton kurta, a red bracelet threaded around my wrist, and my mala beads looped around my fingers, shoulders pinned back, walking with pride. I, no doubt also had a yoga branded tote bag filled with a copy of Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi accompanied by several of Osho’s meditations.

While describing the scenery of Shetler’s last journey, Rustad’s writing is wildly exotic, vividly descriptive, and has the power to take readers on a richly atmospheric expedition to the Parvati Valley and beyond.

I was surprised by how informative and well studied Justin’s backstory was, with Harley having interviewed dozens to collect his data to provide the reader with an incredible amount of insight and knowledge into Shetler’s upbringing, training, and travels.

Lost in the Valley of death is a story that will stay with readers long after they have read the final sentence. Bravo to Harley Rustad and thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book even though I really didn’t like Shetler, his whole personality bugged me but that’s not fault to the author.

My only complaint is some places, there were things that dragged on and could have been cut a little shorter.