This is until American film producer Sarah Hughes wanders into Craig’s climbing shop with a proposition for him to feature in the film version of The Empty Rope. After much persuading by Sarah, Craig agrees; a dire financial situation heavily influencing the decision. Craig drives to Chamonix in France where Doug has hired a film crew to make his film adaptation of The Empty Rope.

The initial meeting between the two men is full of unspoken tension as both view each other as rivals and the friendship they once shared has been destroyed by equally felt accusations. The men meeting after twenty-five-years sets into motion Power’s thriller: full of twists, shock reveals and finally the hard-won revelation of what happened on that tragic day. 

Power’s debut novel is a darn-good thriller. The protagonists might start off a little too much like stock action film rivals, but when Craig and Doug meet their relationship is full of nuance, one-upmanship and unspoken bitterness. This tumultuous relationship is at the heart of the novel. As readers, we are left wondering if the two men can ever find peace with the accident or if they will remain haunted by the accident for the rest of their lives.

Power’s novel offers an unexpected detailed and brilliantly portrayed exploration of the impacts that toxic-masculinity can have on male friendship. 

Another strength of Power’s writing is its ability to capture effectively how tragedy can reverberate throughout the ages in the climbing community — turning into climbing myth and legend. The Empty Rope demystifies this kind of mythmaking and shines an important light on the human cost of such tragedies, and the consequences of forgetting the human sacrifices that make climbing routes and climbers notorious.