''Cham'' is the second novel by

John Llewellyn Rhys Prize The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize was a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama) by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kin ...

winning British writer Jonathan Trigell. It is set in the French mountain town and extreme sports Mecca of Chamonix Mont Blanc, where the author also resides. The novel contrasts the modern, hedonistic and adrenaline-fuelled, lifestyles of the town's younger inhabitants against those of the Romantic Period poets

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...

and

John Polidori John William Polidori (7 September 1795 – 24 August 1821) was a British writer and physician. He is known for his associations with the Romanticism, Romantic movement and credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction. ...

who also spent much time in the Chamonix Valley and lived lives considered debauched at the time. It also juxtaposes the sublime splendour of the high mountains and the almost spiritual quality of

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

and

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...

against the modern town's darker underbelly and a night time world of alcohol abuse, drugs and casual sex. The publisher has given the book the strapline: 'The Beach on ice: deep powder, dead poets and moral free-fall in the death-sport capital of the world.'

External links

''Cham'' on Publisher's websiteReview from ''The Mail and Guardian''
2007 British novels Novels set in France Serpent's Tail books {{2000s-novel-stub