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Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas
In the vein of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, a riveting work of narrative nonfiction centering on the unsolved disappearance of an American backpacker in India—one of at least two dozen tourists who have met a similar fate in the remote and storied Parvati Valley.
For centuries, India has enthralled westerners looking for an exotic getaway, a brief immersion in yoga and meditation, or in rare cases, a true pilgrimage to find spiritual revelation. Justin Alexander Shetler, an inveterate traveler trained in wilderness survival, was one such seeker.
In his early thirties Justin Alexander Shetler quit his job at a tech startup and set out on a global across the United States by motorcycle, then down to South America, and on to the Philippines, Thailand, and Nepal, in search of authentic experiences and meaningful encounters, while also documenting his travels on Instagram. His enigmatic character and magnetic personality gained him a devoted following who lived vicariously through his adventures. But the ever restless explorer was driven to seek out ever greater extremes, and greater risks, in what had become a personal quest—his own hero’s journey.
In 2016, he made his way to the Parvati Valley, a remote and rugged corner of the Indian Himalayas steeped in mystical tradition yet shrouded in darkness and danger. There, he spent weeks studying under the guidance of a sadhu, an Indian holy man, living and meditating in a cave. At the end of August, accompanied by the sadhu, he set off on a “spiritual journey” to a holy lake—a journey from which he would never return.
Lost in the Valley of Death is about one man’s search to find himself, in a country where for many westerners the path to spiritual enlightenment can prove fraught, even treacherous. But it is also a story about all of us and the ways, sometimes extreme, we seek fulfillment in life.
For centuries, India has enthralled westerners looking for an exotic getaway, a brief immersion in yoga and meditation, or in rare cases, a true pilgrimage to find spiritual revelation. Justin Alexander Shetler, an inveterate traveler trained in wilderness survival, was one such seeker.
In his early thirties Justin Alexander Shetler quit his job at a tech startup and set out on a global across the United States by motorcycle, then down to South America, and on to the Philippines, Thailand, and Nepal, in search of authentic experiences and meaningful encounters, while also documenting his travels on Instagram. His enigmatic character and magnetic personality gained him a devoted following who lived vicariously through his adventures. But the ever restless explorer was driven to seek out ever greater extremes, and greater risks, in what had become a personal quest—his own hero’s journey.
In 2016, he made his way to the Parvati Valley, a remote and rugged corner of the Indian Himalayas steeped in mystical tradition yet shrouded in darkness and danger. There, he spent weeks studying under the guidance of a sadhu, an Indian holy man, living and meditating in a cave. At the end of August, accompanied by the sadhu, he set off on a “spiritual journey” to a holy lake—a journey from which he would never return.
Lost in the Valley of Death is about one man’s search to find himself, in a country where for many westerners the path to spiritual enlightenment can prove fraught, even treacherous. But it is also a story about all of us and the ways, sometimes extreme, we seek fulfillment in life.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 11, 2022
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About the author
Harley Rustad
3 books79 followersHarley Rustad is the author of LOST IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH (2022) and BIG LONELY DOUG (2018)
He has written for Outside, the Globe and Mail, The Walrus, Geographical, the Guardian, CNN, and elsewhere. He is a features editor at The Walrus magazine, a faculty editor at the Banff Centre's mountain and wilderness writing residency, and the founder of the Port Renfrew Writers' Retreat.
He is originally from Salt Spring Island, BC.
He has written for Outside, the Globe and Mail, The Walrus, Geographical, the Guardian, CNN, and elsewhere. He is a features editor at The Walrus magazine, a faculty editor at the Banff Centre's mountain and wilderness writing residency, and the founder of the Port Renfrew Writers' Retreat.
He is originally from Salt Spring Island, BC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 445 reviews
January 17, 2022
Calling this book, a male version of Eat, Pray, “Loathe” is annoying. This work of narrative nonfiction is a far cry, in more ways than one, from a privileged woman taking a year off to find herself. Frankly, the comparison does Lost in the Valley a disservice.
Justin Alexander Shetler was many things: from a young age a seriously trained survivalist, band front man, minor Instagram star, successful entrepreneur with a luxe lifestyle and finally a seeker pushing himself to asceticism. Always, he was a traveler searching for a connection to the mystical universe in an effort to become whole which led to his disappearance in the remote and dangerous Parvati Valley in India. A deeply affecting account that will resonate with me for a long time to come.
Justin Alexander Shetler was many things: from a young age a seriously trained survivalist, band front man, minor Instagram star, successful entrepreneur with a luxe lifestyle and finally a seeker pushing himself to asceticism. Always, he was a traveler searching for a connection to the mystical universe in an effort to become whole which led to his disappearance in the remote and dangerous Parvati Valley in India. A deeply affecting account that will resonate with me for a long time to come.
January 28, 2022
This book just wasn’t for me. There is nothing inherently wrong with it, but I didn’t jive with it.
Based on the synopsis I thought I would really enjoy it as it’s about a man who went missing while hiking in India. I found the parts about India very fascinating and the parts about how this particular area at the foothills of the Himalayas is a place where many folks have gone missing over the years.
The writing was really good and engaging. The author present the story fairly and passionately.
I just don’t like the guy it’s about. I hadn’t heard of him prior to reading the book, and if I had I might not have read it. He was a popular travel blogger with a troubled past that wasn’t really revealed in full until near the end of the book. Portions of the book, especially early on, felt very much like cultural appropriation, and while that was acknowledged around halfway through it still left a bad taste in my mouth. I read a lot of stories and listen to a lot of podcasts about seekers, and I would consider him to be one, but there is just something about his story that I don’t connect to as I do with other seekers. Maybe it was his clear vanity or his arrogance. I’m not sure.
This is still a good book (two stars for me means it’s good!), but it’s just not something I would normally read and I didn’t really enjoy it.
Thanks to the publishers for early access to this book through an arc! #indigoemployee
Based on the synopsis I thought I would really enjoy it as it’s about a man who went missing while hiking in India. I found the parts about India very fascinating and the parts about how this particular area at the foothills of the Himalayas is a place where many folks have gone missing over the years.
The writing was really good and engaging. The author present the story fairly and passionately.
I just don’t like the guy it’s about. I hadn’t heard of him prior to reading the book, and if I had I might not have read it. He was a popular travel blogger with a troubled past that wasn’t really revealed in full until near the end of the book. Portions of the book, especially early on, felt very much like cultural appropriation, and while that was acknowledged around halfway through it still left a bad taste in my mouth. I read a lot of stories and listen to a lot of podcasts about seekers, and I would consider him to be one, but there is just something about his story that I don’t connect to as I do with other seekers. Maybe it was his clear vanity or his arrogance. I’m not sure.
This is still a good book (two stars for me means it’s good!), but it’s just not something I would normally read and I didn’t really enjoy it.
Thanks to the publishers for early access to this book through an arc! #indigoemployee
October 29, 2021
The Parvati Valley has earned its own nicknames: the Valley of Shadows, the Valley of Death. It is a place where every moment exists on a knife edge, where a wrong turn tips a vehicle over an unbarriered cliff edge, a wrong step pitches a traveler into a churning maelstrom of a river, a wrong turn sends a hiker to ranges unknown. Since the early 1990s, dozens of international backpackers have vanished without a trace while traveling in and around the Parvati Valley, an average of one every year, earning this tiny, remote sliver of the subcontinent a dark reputation as India’s Bermuda Triangle. The circumstances of each disappearance are different — the tourist’s country of origin; villages visited or paths walked; last known location — yet eerily similar. All feature a spirited backpacker seeking an off-the-beaten-track adventure, a collection of anecdotes from fellow travelers relating the backpacker’s final days, a family’s anguished search, and thousands of unanswered questions.
I absolutely loved Harley Rustad’s last narrative nonfiction tale — Big Lonely Doug:The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees — so I was excited to read his latest: Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas. And while Rustad brings the same eye for detail, background, and narrative tension to this story of Justin Alexander Shetler — a thirty-five-year old American backpacker with an incredible life story, a large social media presence, and who mysteriously disappeared in the Indian Himalayas — I’m left feeling, somehow, that the story of the tree was ultimately more interesting and relatable. This is still an intriguing story, well told, that asks interesting questions about what a meaningful life looks like. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms.)
Over time, Shetler’s stories began to acquire their own near-mythological quality. There was the time he carried the injured toddler in Nepal, running for hours — some who have heard the story say days — to take her to the nearest clinic; there was the time he went into the wilderness in Idaho, or, as some recall in Montana, with nothing more than a knife and emerged weeks later wearing buckskin clothing; there was the time he was beaten up, or possibly even stabbed, in Bangkok while trying to save a young woman from harassment. Shortly after quitting his job, he found himself at a Los Angeles restaurant talking with Jonathon Goldsmith, the actor who was appearing on television commercials as “The Most Interesting Man in the World” for a long-running advertising campaign of Dos Equis beer, who remarked, “I think you might actually be the most interesting man in the world.” Shetler illegally climbed the most famous bridges in the United States, he became a Buddhist monk in Thailand, and he crossed snow-covered Himalayas in flip-flops. It was all part of a story that Shetler wanted to build, a story that, as he saw it, was just beginning.
This passage doesn’t even reference Shetler’s unconventional childhood (that saw him attending a wilderness survival academy instead of high school), his time fronting the alt rock band Punchface, or the three years he worked with a tech startup and travelled the globe on a luxury budget. Approaching his mid-thirties, Shetler decided to leave his high-paying job, give away the majority of his worldly goods, and embark on a quest for deeper meaning (which he believed could only be attained ascetically as the heroes had in the books he grew up reading). Shetler spent the next couple of years vagabonding across the United States, South America, and Asia — boosting his social media following with beautiful pictures and enviable adventures — and by the time he found India calling to him irresistibly, Shetler was on the horns of a dilemma: Should he continue to focus on growing his ego-boosting online presence or was it time to give himself over to a sadhu, an Indian holy man, who could teach him to entirely free himself from his ego by learning to let go of the world. When Shetler decided to accompany one such sadhu on a dangerous trek to a holy lake, his last post to social media was:
These Babas are said to have magical powers from decades of ancient yoga practice. But. I really don’t know what to expect. I’ve never done yoga, and his style is extreme — based on the grotesque swellings on his joints. But I want to see the world through his eyes, which are essentially 5000 years old, an ancient spiritual path. I’m going to put my heart into it and see what happens. My back is in bad shape, (broken when I was 19) and even with daily soaks in hot springs, this cave/mountain life has recently put me in a state of constant discomfort. I’m sadly inflexible, and I can’t even sit still for a few minutes without pain. Maybe Baba Life will be good for me. I should return mid September or so.
If I’m not back by then, don’t look for me. ;)
And as it turned out, that was Shetler’s last ever social media post. So, how seriously were his friends and family to take that final thought, “If I’m not back by then, don’t look for me”? How to interpret the wink? Was he joking or saying goodbye?
Rustad went to India (several times) in search of those answers, and this book is filled with his conversations with the people who knew Shetler, as well as long passages from Shetler’s own writings. Rustad quotes freely from famed literature set in India and fills in the history of the area: many foreigners have contracted “India Syndrome” in this magic-filled valley at the foot of the Himalayas and disappeared into mountain caves to live undetected; sometimes for decades. This is also one of the remote settings of India’s illegal cannabis cultivation (the hash produced here is apparently world-renowned) and the hills are filled with black marketeers, thieves, and fake holy men. As we get to learn more and more about Shetler and his quixotic nature, there is certainly narrative tension in wanting to know what Rustad learns of the backpacker's fate. Despite all of the crazy antics in Shetler’s life, I really did find the story of Big Lonely Doug to be somehow richer, but it’s not really Rustad’s fault that I wasn’t completely wowed — Rustad set out on his own journey without knowing what he would ultimately find and he presents the results in a narrative that is consistently interesting and well-written.
February 22, 2022
1.5 stars. I rarely give one star ratings but this deserves it.
A story of a privileged, entitled, culturally appropriating white man who was overindulged by well intentioned parents, before meeting social media and living his best life... For the likes of course!
While living outside, homeless, close to penniless (his words) he still managed to keep his iPhone charged and his social media properly hashtagged, grabbing carefully composed selfies highlighting his rugged good looks and six pack abs.
I don't mean to sound so callous... I am sure there are lots of people who loved him and miss him... But I cannot help but wonder how his life would have turned out if the motivation of social media were not around.
The writing is okay (hence the stars) but the story is... Meh. Do yourself a favor and just skim/skip the first 125 pages.
"Into The Wild" this isn't.
A story of a privileged, entitled, culturally appropriating white man who was overindulged by well intentioned parents, before meeting social media and living his best life... For the likes of course!
While living outside, homeless, close to penniless (his words) he still managed to keep his iPhone charged and his social media properly hashtagged, grabbing carefully composed selfies highlighting his rugged good looks and six pack abs.
I don't mean to sound so callous... I am sure there are lots of people who loved him and miss him... But I cannot help but wonder how his life would have turned out if the motivation of social media were not around.
The writing is okay (hence the stars) but the story is... Meh. Do yourself a favor and just skim/skip the first 125 pages.
"Into The Wild" this isn't.
February 9, 2022
Thoughts soon.
September 19, 2023
Into the Valley
Review of the Vintage Canada paperback edition (2023) of the Harper hardcover original (Jan. 11, 2022)
While reading Lost in the Valley of Death it is quite likely that you'll be reminded of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild (1996) about wilderness adventurer Chris McCandless (1968-1992), as there are many parallels. The life of Justin Alexander Shetler (1981-presumed dead 2016) was more extreme though and he travelled even further afield than McCandless, until finally ending somewhere in the Parvati Valley in Northern India.
Photograph of Justin Alexander Shetler. Image sourced from his Instagram (link is still active as of September 2023).
Harley Rustad has done a superb job in reconstructing the story of Justin Shetler, even though the final mystery of his disappearance remains, as no body has ever been recovered. There are suspicions that the "baba" or so-called "holy man" who was his last travel guide may have murdered him for his money and possessions. Even that suspicion ended in mystery as the "baba" supposedly committed suicide in his prison cell after being arrested on suspicion of murder. That added a further aura of conspiracy hinting that authorities scapegoated the man in order to provide a quick solution and to prevent continued warnings to tourists of the dangers of travel in India.
Illustration by Erin Wilson. Image sourced from Outside Magazine (link below).
The book also presents another possible alternative that Justin Alexander Shetler could still be alive and had intentionally wanted to disappear. There are examples of others in similar cases who have been found to be alive many years afterwards.
I read Lost in the Valley of Death through being introduced to it at the 2023 Lakefield Literary Festival.
Author Harley Rustad (right) in discussion with moderator Johanna Schneller (left) and author Sheila Heti (Pure Colour (2022)) at the 2023 Lakefield Literary Festival, Canada.
Other Reviews
Seeking Enlightenment, He Disappeared into a Hiker’s Bermuda Triangle by Michael Paterniti, New York Times, January 21, 2022.
Trivia and Links
The author’s original article about Justin Alexander Shetler was Lost in the Valley of Death by Harley Rustad, Outside Magazine, December 13, 2018.
An interview with author Harley Rustad on the release of the book can be read at New Book looks at U.S. Backpacker Whose Indian Pilgrimage Ends in Mystery by Dana Gee, Vancouver Sun, February 11, 2022.
The Adventures of Justin Facebook page is here (link is still active as of September 2023).
Review of the Vintage Canada paperback edition (2023) of the Harper hardcover original (Jan. 11, 2022)
He found himself talking with Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor who was appearing on television commercials as "The Most Interesting Man in the World" ... who remarked, "I think you might actually be the most interesting man in the world." Justin illegally climbed the most famous bridges in the United States, he became a Buddhist monk in Thailand, and he crossed snow-covered Himalayan passes in flip-flops.
While reading Lost in the Valley of Death it is quite likely that you'll be reminded of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild (1996) about wilderness adventurer Chris McCandless (1968-1992), as there are many parallels. The life of Justin Alexander Shetler (1981-presumed dead 2016) was more extreme though and he travelled even further afield than McCandless, until finally ending somewhere in the Parvati Valley in Northern India.
Photograph of Justin Alexander Shetler. Image sourced from his Instagram (link is still active as of September 2023).
Harley Rustad has done a superb job in reconstructing the story of Justin Shetler, even though the final mystery of his disappearance remains, as no body has ever been recovered. There are suspicions that the "baba" or so-called "holy man" who was his last travel guide may have murdered him for his money and possessions. Even that suspicion ended in mystery as the "baba" supposedly committed suicide in his prison cell after being arrested on suspicion of murder. That added a further aura of conspiracy hinting that authorities scapegoated the man in order to provide a quick solution and to prevent continued warnings to tourists of the dangers of travel in India.
Illustration by Erin Wilson. Image sourced from Outside Magazine (link below).
The book also presents another possible alternative that Justin Alexander Shetler could still be alive and had intentionally wanted to disappear. There are examples of others in similar cases who have been found to be alive many years afterwards.
Each addition to missing-persons lists has begged the question: Of all the travelers who disappeared without a trace, who were lost or murdered - and who simply did not want to be found?
I read Lost in the Valley of Death through being introduced to it at the 2023 Lakefield Literary Festival.
Author Harley Rustad (right) in discussion with moderator Johanna Schneller (left) and author Sheila Heti (Pure Colour (2022)) at the 2023 Lakefield Literary Festival, Canada.
Other Reviews
Seeking Enlightenment, He Disappeared into a Hiker’s Bermuda Triangle by Michael Paterniti, New York Times, January 21, 2022.
Trivia and Links
The author’s original article about Justin Alexander Shetler was Lost in the Valley of Death by Harley Rustad, Outside Magazine, December 13, 2018.
An interview with author Harley Rustad on the release of the book can be read at New Book looks at U.S. Backpacker Whose Indian Pilgrimage Ends in Mystery by Dana Gee, Vancouver Sun, February 11, 2022.
The Adventures of Justin Facebook page is here (link is still active as of September 2023).
January 12, 2022
So. This book was fascinating and heartbreaking. I picked it up because it has a lot of Into the Wild vibes (which is actually referenced a lot throughout) and I really enjoyed that one so I thought I’d try something similar.
But this one fell a little flat for me? I really enjoyed learning about Justin Alexander Shetler since I knew nothing about him going into this but the timeline of this book wasn’t linear so I got a little lost at times. And for being such a short book, this just didn’t captivate me as much as I wanted it to?
I really wanted more about the Himalayas and Shetler’s time there. But most of that seemed to be crammed into the last 3rd? So the premise that is presented here wasn’t necessarily what the book delivered. While I did enjoy learning more about Shetler and his life before traveling, I wanted more in the Himalayas and it felt like there wasn't a ton about that?
So I get what this book was trying to do and really did enjoy some aspects of it and learn a lot. But I just didn’t really love the execution. It felt like this book was trying just a little ~too hard to BE Into the Wild when it should’ve just told its own story.
I ended this book feeling like I didn’t really know Shelter or totally understand his motivations. He still seemed like an enigma, even after 270 pages. Which, I get that that’s how he wanted it. But this book had so many interviews with people who actually knew him and it felt like there could’ve been more material used from those interviews. Instead it seemed to be a lot of the same quotes, from different people, just to prove a single point.
So. I ended up feeling just slightly disappointed by this one. And I honestly did have a hard time motivating myself to pick it up. I don’t know. There were parts that I really enjoyed but, unfortunately, I ended up feeling pretty meh about this book as whole.
Well, anyway, thank you to Harper Books for sending a copy of this my way in exchange for an honest review!
But this one fell a little flat for me? I really enjoyed learning about Justin Alexander Shetler since I knew nothing about him going into this but the timeline of this book wasn’t linear so I got a little lost at times. And for being such a short book, this just didn’t captivate me as much as I wanted it to?
I really wanted more about the Himalayas and Shetler’s time there. But most of that seemed to be crammed into the last 3rd? So the premise that is presented here wasn’t necessarily what the book delivered. While I did enjoy learning more about Shetler and his life before traveling, I wanted more in the Himalayas and it felt like there wasn't a ton about that?
So I get what this book was trying to do and really did enjoy some aspects of it and learn a lot. But I just didn’t really love the execution. It felt like this book was trying just a little ~too hard to BE Into the Wild when it should’ve just told its own story.
I ended this book feeling like I didn’t really know Shelter or totally understand his motivations. He still seemed like an enigma, even after 270 pages. Which, I get that that’s how he wanted it. But this book had so many interviews with people who actually knew him and it felt like there could’ve been more material used from those interviews. Instead it seemed to be a lot of the same quotes, from different people, just to prove a single point.
So. I ended up feeling just slightly disappointed by this one. And I honestly did have a hard time motivating myself to pick it up. I don’t know. There were parts that I really enjoyed but, unfortunately, I ended up feeling pretty meh about this book as whole.
Well, anyway, thank you to Harper Books for sending a copy of this my way in exchange for an honest review!
February 23, 2022
3.5 rounded up
I don't know what has got into me recently but I just can't get enough of outdoorsy adventure books: mountain climbing, hiking, rock climbing, and particularly those which are set in far-flung locations and feature people undertaking extreme activities. (Please send recommendations if you have any!) I'm rapidly making my way through Jon Krakauer's backlist - Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains is up next - and having read an extract of this on The Guardian I thought it would be a good fit for my recent reading mood. (Turns out both Krakauer and Harley Rustad wrote articles for Outside magazine before they wrote full length books on their subjects.)
This is a well-executed account of what made one American man, Justin Alexander Shetler, quit his job in his early 30s and travel to India before ultimately going missing there in late 2016. The book reads almost like a contemporary Chris McCandless story for the Instagram generation (the author mentions Shetler admired McCandless so this is hardly surprising).
I note from reading some reviews that the lower ratings seem to be because people didn't like Shetler rather than they thought this book wasn't great, and that's actually kind of similar to a fair few reviews of Into the Wild. I'm not sure what point I'm trying to make by saying this, perhaps just to say that rate a book however you want but I think one can enjoy or appreciate a book without necessarily agreeing with the life philosophy of the person it is about. It seems that Shetler was far from unique in visiting the Parvati Valley to try to find either himself or enlightenment, judging by the rising numbers of foreign tourists dying or going missing in the area and by the sheer volume of other travellers he met on his trip who were engaged in similar pursuits.
Like Krakauer, I think Rustad largely manages to provide a reasonably impartial and balanced account of Shetler's journey, highlighting the examples where his actions perhaps didn't quite match up with the lifestyle he was portraying through his popular Instagram account and investigating his motivations behind his final trip.
Recommended for those who enjoy adventure and/or true crime narratives.
I don't know what has got into me recently but I just can't get enough of outdoorsy adventure books: mountain climbing, hiking, rock climbing, and particularly those which are set in far-flung locations and feature people undertaking extreme activities. (Please send recommendations if you have any!) I'm rapidly making my way through Jon Krakauer's backlist - Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains is up next - and having read an extract of this on The Guardian I thought it would be a good fit for my recent reading mood. (Turns out both Krakauer and Harley Rustad wrote articles for Outside magazine before they wrote full length books on their subjects.)
This is a well-executed account of what made one American man, Justin Alexander Shetler, quit his job in his early 30s and travel to India before ultimately going missing there in late 2016. The book reads almost like a contemporary Chris McCandless story for the Instagram generation (the author mentions Shetler admired McCandless so this is hardly surprising).
I note from reading some reviews that the lower ratings seem to be because people didn't like Shetler rather than they thought this book wasn't great, and that's actually kind of similar to a fair few reviews of Into the Wild. I'm not sure what point I'm trying to make by saying this, perhaps just to say that rate a book however you want but I think one can enjoy or appreciate a book without necessarily agreeing with the life philosophy of the person it is about. It seems that Shetler was far from unique in visiting the Parvati Valley to try to find either himself or enlightenment, judging by the rising numbers of foreign tourists dying or going missing in the area and by the sheer volume of other travellers he met on his trip who were engaged in similar pursuits.
Like Krakauer, I think Rustad largely manages to provide a reasonably impartial and balanced account of Shetler's journey, highlighting the examples where his actions perhaps didn't quite match up with the lifestyle he was portraying through his popular Instagram account and investigating his motivations behind his final trip.
Recommended for those who enjoy adventure and/or true crime narratives.
October 16, 2021
I had the honour of blurbing this book. Here's what I wrote:
"Justin Alexander Shetler went to India in search of adventure and authenticity and never came back. Was his disappearance the result of a crime, an accident, or a profound spiritual transformation? This mystery beats at the heart of Harley Rustad’s gripping and propulsive book, which is part travelogue, part pilgrim’s quest, part detective story. With empathy and reportorial rigour, Rustad traces the origins and evolution of Shetler’s desire to live a bold, meaningful life—and to share that life, post by post, with a growing online following. The result is the classic hero’s journey updated for a hectic, hyperconnected world: think Into the Wild meets Eat Pray Love, only set in the Himalayan foothills in the age of hashtags."
"Justin Alexander Shetler went to India in search of adventure and authenticity and never came back. Was his disappearance the result of a crime, an accident, or a profound spiritual transformation? This mystery beats at the heart of Harley Rustad’s gripping and propulsive book, which is part travelogue, part pilgrim’s quest, part detective story. With empathy and reportorial rigour, Rustad traces the origins and evolution of Shetler’s desire to live a bold, meaningful life—and to share that life, post by post, with a growing online following. The result is the classic hero’s journey updated for a hectic, hyperconnected world: think Into the Wild meets Eat Pray Love, only set in the Himalayan foothills in the age of hashtags."
November 4, 2022
"Изгубен в долината на смъртта" е реална история на едно мистериозно изчезване. През 2016 г. американецът Джъстин Александър Шетлер става популярен в социалните мрежи след като изоставя работата си и започва да обикаля света в търсене на приключения, спиритуално израстване и скрити езотерични истини. Определя себе си като номад и публикува снимки от свещени места, живеейки почти отшелнически живот. Джъстин заминава за Индия и се отправя с мотора си към долината Парвати, разположена на границата с Тибет. Долината е притегателно място за всякакъв вид поклонници, търсещи смисъл в живота си и отхвърящи съвременния материален свят. Джъстин започва да живее в скалиста пещера и намира гуру (садху), който го обучава в йога практики. С последната си публикация в социалните мрежи Джъстин съобщава, че ще участва в поход към митично езеро, свързано с бога разрушител Шива. След това изчезва безследно. Тялото му не е открито и до днес.
Книгата е предупреждение към хората, които загърбват всичко в търсене на смисъл и просветление на опасни места. Джъстин Александър продължава да има хиляди последователи в социалните мрежи. Те все още се опитват да разберат какво се е случило. Дали е убит или продължава да се живее в пещера, както пише в Инстаграм профила му? Истинска модерна мистерия с неочакван край.
Книгата е предупреждение към хората, които загърбват всичко в търсене на смисъл и просветление на опасни места. Джъстин Александър продължава да има хиляди последователи в социалните мрежи. Те все още се опитват да разберат какво се е случило. Дали е убит или продължава да се живее в пещера, както пише в Инстаграм профила му? Истинска модерна мистерия с неочакван край.
January 31, 2022
There was a lot that was interesting in the book. I like learning about subcultures and in this case I learned about schools for wilderness survival and animal tracking. It was also interesting learning about how many people have disappeared or died in India, especially in the Parvati Valley, including foreigners who simply overstayed their visas and melted into the community.
I was less interested in the story of Justin Alexander as an individual. There were moments when the book dragged as it slavishly described his life and difficulties. I read Into the Wild by Krakauer and enjoyed it, but was similarly not all that interested in McCandless, except to feel sorry for him and especially his family. I guess my problem is that the urge to test yourself against nature to the point that you disregard all commonsense and end up dying does not seem particularly heroic to me. Those people who take test and quest to the extreme often sound to me like they are suffering from undiagnosed mental illnesses. I can feel sorry for them, but I have a hard time seeing what they have done as heroic. Give me mere tourism over extreme adventuring any time.
I was less interested in the story of Justin Alexander as an individual. There were moments when the book dragged as it slavishly described his life and difficulties. I read Into the Wild by Krakauer and enjoyed it, but was similarly not all that interested in McCandless, except to feel sorry for him and especially his family. I guess my problem is that the urge to test yourself against nature to the point that you disregard all commonsense and end up dying does not seem particularly heroic to me. Those people who take test and quest to the extreme often sound to me like they are suffering from undiagnosed mental illnesses. I can feel sorry for them, but I have a hard time seeing what they have done as heroic. Give me mere tourism over extreme adventuring any time.
May 20, 2022
***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***
Justin Alexander was a travel influencer who disappeared in the Himalayas. This is the story of his life and what is known about his (probable) death.
I understand why the author found this fascinating. Justin was an interesting person who lived life on the edges and was always seeking new things. The lack of information about his disappearance is a tantalizing mystery. Unfortunately, I just don't think there was enough here to write a book on. It felt stretched out and padded in too many places. This would have been better served as a New Yorker article or something similar.
Justin Alexander was a travel influencer who disappeared in the Himalayas. This is the story of his life and what is known about his (probable) death.
I understand why the author found this fascinating. Justin was an interesting person who lived life on the edges and was always seeking new things. The lack of information about his disappearance is a tantalizing mystery. Unfortunately, I just don't think there was enough here to write a book on. It felt stretched out and padded in too many places. This would have been better served as a New Yorker article or something similar.
January 18, 2022
So happy to have finally finished this book. Yet another example of an entitled American and his family thinking their life is somehow worth more than anyone else.
January 24, 2022
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.
January 24, 2022
This review is based on a copy of this book I received through a Goodreads Giveaway.
This is the story of the disappearance of Justin Alexander Shetler, a rather privileged American man who disappears in the Himalayas, in India's Parvati valley. This well-written book goes into extensive detail about Justin's past, and from interviews with those who were close to him, attempts to glean some insight into his mental and emotional state.
After reading about Charles Sobhraj (and yes...watching the Netflix series), this book caught my eye as it focused on much more recent disappearances. To be clear, while other disappearances are mentioned very briefly, this book focuses just on Justin. In fact, I do think it could have been improved if Rustad had tied in more information on the search for Bruno Muschalik, whose father was searching for him in about the same location at about the same time as Justin was setting off on his trek.
What really disappointed me about this book is that I just don't like Justin. Rustad does briefly touch on the cultural appropriation issue. Very briefly. To his credit, Justin does seem to try to be a good person - he helps build a school in Nepal, and sends money to locals he meets on his travels. Also, unlike Alexander McCandles of "Into the Wild" fame, Justin is EXTREMELY well qualified to be alone in the wilderness. However, Justin looks down on most people and overseas experiences as being "inauthentic". His obsession with making sure everything is authentic is itself inauthentic. He derides "tourists" who just want packaged experiences that they buy like other luxury items, yet what he does is little albiet with more time and less money. He has his heroes who go through certain experiences, and like a Conde-Nast list of places to see before you die, he seeks them out to check them off his list - become a Buddhist monk - check, live with natives around the world - check, live in a cave - check, learn from a baba - check. He seems more concerned with how everything will look online as he builds up a heroic persona for himself than anything else. Even if he isn't primarily doing it for money, he is exploiting people and their cultures for his own gain, which seems to be fame and validation from strangers on the internet who tell him that he is finally a superhero adventurer like the ones he idolized as a child.
Normally, I am not one who is quick to cry "cultural appropriation" because I am happy when outsiders show a genuine interest in and respect for other cultures, but Justin does not seem to respect them. The most egregious example of this was during his time in Varanasi. He is told not to take pictures of the funeral pyres as this is an extremely holy city and extremely holy rite to the Hindus, and yet he sneaks off to a safe distance and videos it for his followers. This is not respect. This is something that bumbling, idiotic tourists do when they don't actually care about the other culture and see it simply as a curiosity. Could you argue that he just found it so beautiful that he had to share it? Perhaps, and I know the feeling, but if you have genuine respect for the people and the culture, you will instead write some poetic lines to attempt to describe the scene, the magic of it, and how it affected you. Don't blatantly disregard the wishes of the people whose culture you are there to experience.
As an aside, and for full disclosure, my rage likely stems from the fact that part of my family is from South East Asia, and most of them still live there. I have been on extended visits to see them several times and have witnessed similar disrespectful behavior from tourists there.
So, bottom line, if you liked "Into the Wild", you are likely to enjoy this. Rustad did a great job of illuminating Justin's journey through life, as well as a sub-culture of foreigners in India that I didn't know existed. I just don't like Justin.
I did however, add Rustad's book about Big Lonely Doug to my reading list.
This is the story of the disappearance of Justin Alexander Shetler, a rather privileged American man who disappears in the Himalayas, in India's Parvati valley. This well-written book goes into extensive detail about Justin's past, and from interviews with those who were close to him, attempts to glean some insight into his mental and emotional state.
After reading about Charles Sobhraj (and yes...watching the Netflix series), this book caught my eye as it focused on much more recent disappearances. To be clear, while other disappearances are mentioned very briefly, this book focuses just on Justin. In fact, I do think it could have been improved if Rustad had tied in more information on the search for Bruno Muschalik, whose father was searching for him in about the same location at about the same time as Justin was setting off on his trek.
What really disappointed me about this book is that I just don't like Justin. Rustad does briefly touch on the cultural appropriation issue. Very briefly. To his credit, Justin does seem to try to be a good person - he helps build a school in Nepal, and sends money to locals he meets on his travels. Also, unlike Alexander McCandles of "Into the Wild" fame, Justin is EXTREMELY well qualified to be alone in the wilderness. However, Justin looks down on most people and overseas experiences as being "inauthentic". His obsession with making sure everything is authentic is itself inauthentic. He derides "tourists" who just want packaged experiences that they buy like other luxury items, yet what he does is little albiet with more time and less money. He has his heroes who go through certain experiences, and like a Conde-Nast list of places to see before you die, he seeks them out to check them off his list - become a Buddhist monk - check, live with natives around the world - check, live in a cave - check, learn from a baba - check. He seems more concerned with how everything will look online as he builds up a heroic persona for himself than anything else. Even if he isn't primarily doing it for money, he is exploiting people and their cultures for his own gain, which seems to be fame and validation from strangers on the internet who tell him that he is finally a superhero adventurer like the ones he idolized as a child.
Normally, I am not one who is quick to cry "cultural appropriation" because I am happy when outsiders show a genuine interest in and respect for other cultures, but Justin does not seem to respect them. The most egregious example of this was during his time in Varanasi. He is told not to take pictures of the funeral pyres as this is an extremely holy city and extremely holy rite to the Hindus, and yet he sneaks off to a safe distance and videos it for his followers. This is not respect. This is something that bumbling, idiotic tourists do when they don't actually care about the other culture and see it simply as a curiosity. Could you argue that he just found it so beautiful that he had to share it? Perhaps, and I know the feeling, but if you have genuine respect for the people and the culture, you will instead write some poetic lines to attempt to describe the scene, the magic of it, and how it affected you. Don't blatantly disregard the wishes of the people whose culture you are there to experience.
As an aside, and for full disclosure, my rage likely stems from the fact that part of my family is from South East Asia, and most of them still live there. I have been on extended visits to see them several times and have witnessed similar disrespectful behavior from tourists there.
So, bottom line, if you liked "Into the Wild", you are likely to enjoy this. Rustad did a great job of illuminating Justin's journey through life, as well as a sub-culture of foreigners in India that I didn't know existed. I just don't like Justin.
I did however, add Rustad's book about Big Lonely Doug to my reading list.
January 6, 2022
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.
"The valley is remote, isolated, and dramatically picturesque. Surrounded by such natural beauty and peace, it is easy to imagine that if one follows the bumpy road that follows the holy river, some fragment of higher understanding or meaning will emerge within reach."
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.
Avocado Diaries
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.
"The valley is remote, isolated, and dramatically picturesque. Surrounded by such natural beauty and peace, it is easy to imagine that if one follows the bumpy road that follows the holy river, some fragment of higher understanding or meaning will emerge within reach."
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.
Avocado Diaries
July 6, 2022
Lost in the Valley of Death is the story of a man lost in so many ways. Justin Alexander Shetler was a victim of child abuse and sexual assault on two occasions at a young age. His relationahip with his divorced parents was on again and off again.
Justin was blessed with good looks, athletic ability, and intelligence. He quit high school agreeing to obtain a GED while he was attending a school that taught people how to survive in nature. Although he was at one time a successful business executive, he never lost his desire to spend time in nature.
Thus, he quit his lucrative job and led the life of a traveler and adventurer. He posted regularly to Instagram and Facebook and had a large number of followers who enjoyed his photographs and tales of adventure and discovery. As he grew older, he began to seek more meaning in life, and this led him, as it has many others to India, the Himalayas, and many holy men who profess to know the secret of life.
It was on this last adventure that he disappeared in an area known for the disappearances of foreign travelers/seekers.
The book begins with many chapters recitating Justin's prior adventures, growing up, and accomplishments. This is kind of slow going, but Rustad must believe it is necessary to draw out readers interest in Justin and the ways in which he was unusual.
The section detailing the many dissappearances, deaths, and robberies of foreign tourists in the area of India that Justin was drawn to is very interesting.
The book ends with the search for Justin, and you can draw your own conclusion as to whether he is dead or living a life of isolation in India.
Justin was blessed with good looks, athletic ability, and intelligence. He quit high school agreeing to obtain a GED while he was attending a school that taught people how to survive in nature. Although he was at one time a successful business executive, he never lost his desire to spend time in nature.
Thus, he quit his lucrative job and led the life of a traveler and adventurer. He posted regularly to Instagram and Facebook and had a large number of followers who enjoyed his photographs and tales of adventure and discovery. As he grew older, he began to seek more meaning in life, and this led him, as it has many others to India, the Himalayas, and many holy men who profess to know the secret of life.
It was on this last adventure that he disappeared in an area known for the disappearances of foreign travelers/seekers.
The book begins with many chapters recitating Justin's prior adventures, growing up, and accomplishments. This is kind of slow going, but Rustad must believe it is necessary to draw out readers interest in Justin and the ways in which he was unusual.
The section detailing the many dissappearances, deaths, and robberies of foreign tourists in the area of India that Justin was drawn to is very interesting.
The book ends with the search for Justin, and you can draw your own conclusion as to whether he is dead or living a life of isolation in India.
July 9, 2025
This book tells the story of Justin Shetler, an American man who disappeared in the Himalayas. I wasn’t super interested in the parts of the book that told his specific story, but I was riveted by the parts about “India syndrome,” a form of psychosis that has been known to develop in foreign visitors who feel an overwhelming surge of spiritual feelings upon arrival in the country. This book was overall a well-researched piece of journalism that speaks to larger societal issues. It wasn’t a favourite for me, but I still mostly enjoyed it.
May 12, 2022
Lost In the Valley of Death explores the life and ultimate disappearance of a moderately well known American travel influencer, Justin Alexander, from a remote Himalayan valley in 2016. Exhaustively researched, the book covers Justin’s entire life with interviews with dozens of people who knew him. The problem here is that Justin is not all that interesting, and too much time is spent retreading the same ideas and redundant stories about Justin from third party bystanders that really didn’t need the be in this book - for me, at least, Rustad spends his time focusing on the wrong things.
A lot of time and effort is spent characterizing Justin as a gentle yet troubled man in a continuous search for meaning in his life. It’s dull. This dude had a troubled upbringing and had mental health issues which left him without the societal attachments and bonds we all need to stay grounded. The only place he got attention was through social media via a curated ‘best life’ persona that people built parasocial attachments to. Because of this, he was encouraged to engage in increasingly risky behavior and activities, culminating in a ill conceived spiritual pilgrimage up to the source of the Parvati river with a ‘mystical’ sadhu (con man) in august 2016.
I get why Rustad wanted to use Justin’s story here, but even in the book he discusses many other people who regularly go missing in the Parvati Valley, and more broadly, the concept of India Syndrome, where a certain type of tourist to India is prone to have a mental health crisis that causes them to cut off ties to their old life and/or disappear. This is interesting. The brief exploration we get of the spiritual tourist to India is a topic I want to spend more time on. The online ‘followers’ of Justin who endlessly encourage him and have blind optimism in his abilities to accomplish any feat in the name of ‘authentic travel’ from the safety of their own homes is another topic well worth exploring. Most interestingly, I’m very interested in the idea of this authentic travel lifestyle. Is it even possible? I very much doubt it.
These are all 4+ star concepts, and while they were barely explored in this book, they were visible enough under the Justin-worship surface to make this a 3 star read from me. Taken as a cautionary tale and critical review of influencers like Justin, this was a decent book. I just don’t care about Justin enough to rate this more than 3 stars. I would cautiously recommend, but am sure there are better books out there that do a better job than Rustad did here at actually covering the topics worth note.
A lot of time and effort is spent characterizing Justin as a gentle yet troubled man in a continuous search for meaning in his life. It’s dull. This dude had a troubled upbringing and had mental health issues which left him without the societal attachments and bonds we all need to stay grounded. The only place he got attention was through social media via a curated ‘best life’ persona that people built parasocial attachments to. Because of this, he was encouraged to engage in increasingly risky behavior and activities, culminating in a ill conceived spiritual pilgrimage up to the source of the Parvati river with a ‘mystical’ sadhu (con man) in august 2016.
I get why Rustad wanted to use Justin’s story here, but even in the book he discusses many other people who regularly go missing in the Parvati Valley, and more broadly, the concept of India Syndrome, where a certain type of tourist to India is prone to have a mental health crisis that causes them to cut off ties to their old life and/or disappear. This is interesting. The brief exploration we get of the spiritual tourist to India is a topic I want to spend more time on. The online ‘followers’ of Justin who endlessly encourage him and have blind optimism in his abilities to accomplish any feat in the name of ‘authentic travel’ from the safety of their own homes is another topic well worth exploring. Most interestingly, I’m very interested in the idea of this authentic travel lifestyle. Is it even possible? I very much doubt it.
These are all 4+ star concepts, and while they were barely explored in this book, they were visible enough under the Justin-worship surface to make this a 3 star read from me. Taken as a cautionary tale and critical review of influencers like Justin, this was a decent book. I just don’t care about Justin enough to rate this more than 3 stars. I would cautiously recommend, but am sure there are better books out there that do a better job than Rustad did here at actually covering the topics worth note.
January 10, 2022
Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas by Harley Rustad is an utterly fascinating and enthralling mixture of biography, travel memoir, and unsolved mystery!
Having developed an affinity for nature at a young age, Justin Alexander Shetler often escaped to the wilderness when life got to be too much. In his early thirties, Shelter rid himself of the majority his possessions and set off to travel the world with little more than a motorcycle, a backpack, and his flute. His Instagram account documenting his adventures garnered a large following, but Shetler hasn’t posted anything since his travels led him to the Parvati Valley in the Indian Himalayas in 2016. Shetler’s Instagram account still says he is “currently living in a cave in India.”
This book is so much more than just an account of Sheltler’s life and travels. It examines the human desire and quest for knowledge, meaning, and fulfillment in such a deep and introspective manner. The author discusses the pull numerous Westerners feel toward the idea of finding spiritual enlightenment and the theories surrounding several of their disappearances in India. Did they decide to abandon their former lives and remain off the grid, encounter a natural danger that led to their demise, or become victims of a heinous crime? Like those Westerners, Shetler’s spiritual journey led him to India in search of truth, meaning, and purpose, and his disappearance in the Parvati Valley remains a mystery to this day. “Maybe home is something I’m looking for, and I just won’t know until I find it.”
To Justin Alexander Shetler: Wherever you are, I hope you are at peace.
*I received a gifted advanced copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Having developed an affinity for nature at a young age, Justin Alexander Shetler often escaped to the wilderness when life got to be too much. In his early thirties, Shelter rid himself of the majority his possessions and set off to travel the world with little more than a motorcycle, a backpack, and his flute. His Instagram account documenting his adventures garnered a large following, but Shetler hasn’t posted anything since his travels led him to the Parvati Valley in the Indian Himalayas in 2016. Shetler’s Instagram account still says he is “currently living in a cave in India.”
This book is so much more than just an account of Sheltler’s life and travels. It examines the human desire and quest for knowledge, meaning, and fulfillment in such a deep and introspective manner. The author discusses the pull numerous Westerners feel toward the idea of finding spiritual enlightenment and the theories surrounding several of their disappearances in India. Did they decide to abandon their former lives and remain off the grid, encounter a natural danger that led to their demise, or become victims of a heinous crime? Like those Westerners, Shetler’s spiritual journey led him to India in search of truth, meaning, and purpose, and his disappearance in the Parvati Valley remains a mystery to this day. “Maybe home is something I’m looking for, and I just won’t know until I find it.”
To Justin Alexander Shetler: Wherever you are, I hope you are at peace.
*I received a gifted advanced copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
February 19, 2022
Although I really loved this book (the writing, story and research were on point) I did not love Justin Alexander who the story was about. He seemed fake and I have to agree with the author that “Justin‘s desire to live a life of legend and grand experiences led to slight bends in the truth as he presented his story online.”
I will add that I did NOT like the comparisons of Justin to Christopher McCandless at all; having read a lot about Chris, I really didn’t think their spiritual journeys were alike at all. Chris wasn’t trying to attract social media followers and get more likes as it seemed Justin was out to do.
I will add that I did NOT like the comparisons of Justin to Christopher McCandless at all; having read a lot about Chris, I really didn’t think their spiritual journeys were alike at all. Chris wasn’t trying to attract social media followers and get more likes as it seemed Justin was out to do.
February 17, 2022
I'm listening to this as an audiobook. I was intrigued by the idea of a trained survival expert and spiritual seeker going to the Himalayas and never being heard from again. The book starts there and then the author goes back to his childhood and recounts in great detail his training in wilderness survival, his success in business and in music, and his return to vagabonding around the world, all the while blogging about it. I've come to realize that I don't like the guy. He made himself the star of his own story. Lots of ego at work here. I'm not sure I'm going to finish it.
February 10, 2022
My critiques here have nothing to do with the research, writing, or writer. It's very well crafted. I listened to the podcast "Astray" which examined people like Shetler who went missing in the Parvati Valley, and that sparked my interest in the story. Wonder what this story would be like if it were written about a woman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2022
I don’t think the purpose of this book was to inspire travel to India, but now I want to go there 😂
December 20, 2021
Thank you to NEtGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!
Stories where people up and disappear into the wild or wilderness or what have you always intrigue me, and LOST IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH by Harley Rustad fits that bill. It is the story of Justin Alexander Shetler, a traveller and adventurer who was looking for meaning in his life, and who disappeared in the Parvati Valley in India while on a spiritual trek. Rustad tells his story as well as a broader examination of a desire seen in other Westerners who go to India in search of themselves and spiritual awakening. I liked slowly peeling away the many layers of Shetler's story, and a story that very easily could have been about a Western gaze and misconception about the 'Mystical' East is a bit more than that. Though don't get me wrong, there is still a bit of that, though I think Rustad doesn't glamorize it too much. At the heart of it this book is about a person who is trying to find himself after going through a massive amount of trauma, and how trying to find oneself can be life altering. I liked the history of the Parvati Valley, as well as the history of Westerners going to India and exploring for their own self discovery (and the fallout and consequences of that). And I also liked that Rustad doesn't strive to speculate or answer what happened to Shetler. Perhaps he was the victim of foul play, perhaps the victim of an accident, or perhaps he did, indeed, find a new life. It's an interesting read.
Stories where people up and disappear into the wild or wilderness or what have you always intrigue me, and LOST IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH by Harley Rustad fits that bill. It is the story of Justin Alexander Shetler, a traveller and adventurer who was looking for meaning in his life, and who disappeared in the Parvati Valley in India while on a spiritual trek. Rustad tells his story as well as a broader examination of a desire seen in other Westerners who go to India in search of themselves and spiritual awakening. I liked slowly peeling away the many layers of Shetler's story, and a story that very easily could have been about a Western gaze and misconception about the 'Mystical' East is a bit more than that. Though don't get me wrong, there is still a bit of that, though I think Rustad doesn't glamorize it too much. At the heart of it this book is about a person who is trying to find himself after going through a massive amount of trauma, and how trying to find oneself can be life altering. I liked the history of the Parvati Valley, as well as the history of Westerners going to India and exploring for their own self discovery (and the fallout and consequences of that). And I also liked that Rustad doesn't strive to speculate or answer what happened to Shetler. Perhaps he was the victim of foul play, perhaps the victim of an accident, or perhaps he did, indeed, find a new life. It's an interesting read.
October 25, 2024
Harley Rustad attempts to reconstruct what happened to Justin Alexander, an American born in 1981, who went missing in 2016 in the Indian Himalayas. Justin was a trained survivalist and wanderer. He was interested in Eastern mysticism, taking the role of a seeker, which carried him to far-off places. He wanted to isolate himself in the wilderness, live in a cave, and find spiritual fulfillment. He was also a social media “celebrity” with a large following. During his travels, he posted photos and intermittently interacted with commenters. Justin had always been interested in the “hero’s quest.” He had read books and watched films about mythology and Eastern spiritualism and was seemingly obsessed with living boldly in the world. He admired Chris McCandless, and the book Into the Wild is referenced often. Justin’s sense of wonder and adventure comes through in Rustad’s account, which is written in a journalistic style. It is based on social media posts and numerous interviews. It is a sad story in many ways but also an homage, and possibly a warning of the inherent dangers in adventure-seeking.
May 12, 2022
This book's premise promises a thrill: the disappearance of a young American - a wilderness expert with a bevy of all the social media-documented accouterments of a modern traveler - in India's remote Parvati Valley. The valley, pressed up against the Himalayas, is remote and dramatically picturesque, known for its holy sites and its holy men (called sadhus), its mountains and winding trails. It's also known for the availability of black hash - and for its mysteriously disappearing foreign tourists. From the book:
"It’s not the deaths that make the Parvati Valley unusual, it’s the disappearances into forest or mountain or valley with little trace. And there are more accounts than those noted in police registries and written into headlines that make the news, shared as stories and desperate pleas from family members posted on online message boards and travel forums with scattered details. Communication with loved ones and friends ends abruptly, with a final letter, phone call, or email before blinking out, leaving faint trails for heartsick families to follow...
Some people believe that the disappearances are the result of the valley’s isolation. Far from help, tourists are prime targets of opportunistic robbery and murder. In 2000, two hikers from Germany were shot while camping, and one lost his life. In another attack that year, a couple and the woman’s fourteen-year-old son were attacked while camping between Kheerganga and Mantalai Lake. Their bodies were thrown into a gorge. The woman, María Ángeles Girones from Spain, and the boy died, but the man, Martin Young from the United Kingdom, miraculously survived. 'I think it was completely random,' Young told the BBC while recovering in a hospital in Delhi. 'I don’t think they picked on us in particular. But it was premeditated, certainly premeditated because the attack and our pleas for mercy as they were beating us just increased the assault. And the motive was simple robbery.'
In 2007, an Israeli backpacker, Dror Sheck, was hiking with a group of friends around Kheerganga when they noticed he had lagged behind the group and was out of sight. When they went looking for him, they 'found him bleeding, lying on a small path. Next to him was a knife stained with blood and the leaves next to him had blood on them too.''"
Crime seems to be a la mode right now. The premise of this book seems to promise something along those lines - the fast-paced, lush prose of the narrative crime nonfiction in vogue (something along the lines of Michelle MacNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark).
This book does not really deliver on this promise. The most suspenseful elements, including the passage above, have already been published online; the actual tragedy occupies the last third of the book, with limited information actually shared. Conclusions are hinted at, but never even offered with concreteness. Instead, Rustad falls back on soaring metaphor-laden poignancy. Poetry is an excellent enhancement, but not a substitute for truth. I was disappointed in this regard, although in some ways, this is perhaps a kinder way to approach the topic. Justin Shetler was not just a plot point; he was a human being, and perhaps his family deserves far more than to his disappearance sensationalized.
In truth, though, Rustad was never really writing a whodunnit or even a story about a disappearance. He was writing about the lost: the people who wander, looking for meaning, always certain that if they disconnect a little bit more, if they push themselves further, if they just - just - just - they'll find something: the meaning of life, enlightenment, fulfillment. Of course it's self-indulgent, as many reviewers have pointed out. Justin Shetler was a young white man who had the world at his fingertips; all his wounds, and he had many, can't undo the inherent privilege of his life. Where Rustad succeeds very well is that he doesn't hold Justin's quest up as some pinnacle, or even as something that made him so very special and different. He holds him up as a mirror, tries to dig at something essential in all of us: what are we looking for? Some people go to India - a neat bit of Orientalism, that - but one needn't go to the extreme to feel the need to twinge of a search.
Rustad has a great flair for narrative writing and nature writing especially. I felt a little let down by the thin veneer of the crime angle. Instead, I thought the overwhelming interest of the book was the Western cultural pursuit of self-actualization, and its falseness and its elusiveness, its entanglement with social media and the mythology of the exotic Other, from India to Native American spirituality. Some topics were covered with what felt like pseudo-scientific writing (see: "India Syndrome"), and some of those same topics left me with a bad taste in my mouth. What a lovely privilege it is, to dive into the "exotic" to seek enlightenment! But Rustad is deeply aware of the inherent contradictions, privilege, and to some degree, egoism, involved with the topics he explores. He handles them deftly: presents them with empathy but always with awareness. He treats Justin and his family with the same gentle humanity. It would be easy to look at Justin and condemn his contradictions - his privilege, his social media fronting, his true kindness and his shallowness; instead, reading, I felt sadness for him and his wounds, a credit to Rustad's writing and dedication to understanding a whole person.
This is, at its heart, a philosophical book, disguised as a travel and crime narrative. If society is currently consumed by pursuit of Authenticity Documented on Social Media, of Type II fun, of some "back to nature" ethic, it's worth asking why. I think it reveals something about what we're actually seeking to find.
"It’s not the deaths that make the Parvati Valley unusual, it’s the disappearances into forest or mountain or valley with little trace. And there are more accounts than those noted in police registries and written into headlines that make the news, shared as stories and desperate pleas from family members posted on online message boards and travel forums with scattered details. Communication with loved ones and friends ends abruptly, with a final letter, phone call, or email before blinking out, leaving faint trails for heartsick families to follow...
Some people believe that the disappearances are the result of the valley’s isolation. Far from help, tourists are prime targets of opportunistic robbery and murder. In 2000, two hikers from Germany were shot while camping, and one lost his life. In another attack that year, a couple and the woman’s fourteen-year-old son were attacked while camping between Kheerganga and Mantalai Lake. Their bodies were thrown into a gorge. The woman, María Ángeles Girones from Spain, and the boy died, but the man, Martin Young from the United Kingdom, miraculously survived. 'I think it was completely random,' Young told the BBC while recovering in a hospital in Delhi. 'I don’t think they picked on us in particular. But it was premeditated, certainly premeditated because the attack and our pleas for mercy as they were beating us just increased the assault. And the motive was simple robbery.'
In 2007, an Israeli backpacker, Dror Sheck, was hiking with a group of friends around Kheerganga when they noticed he had lagged behind the group and was out of sight. When they went looking for him, they 'found him bleeding, lying on a small path. Next to him was a knife stained with blood and the leaves next to him had blood on them too.''"
Crime seems to be a la mode right now. The premise of this book seems to promise something along those lines - the fast-paced, lush prose of the narrative crime nonfiction in vogue (something along the lines of Michelle MacNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark).
This book does not really deliver on this promise. The most suspenseful elements, including the passage above, have already been published online; the actual tragedy occupies the last third of the book, with limited information actually shared. Conclusions are hinted at, but never even offered with concreteness. Instead, Rustad falls back on soaring metaphor-laden poignancy. Poetry is an excellent enhancement, but not a substitute for truth. I was disappointed in this regard, although in some ways, this is perhaps a kinder way to approach the topic. Justin Shetler was not just a plot point; he was a human being, and perhaps his family deserves far more than to his disappearance sensationalized.
In truth, though, Rustad was never really writing a whodunnit or even a story about a disappearance. He was writing about the lost: the people who wander, looking for meaning, always certain that if they disconnect a little bit more, if they push themselves further, if they just - just - just - they'll find something: the meaning of life, enlightenment, fulfillment. Of course it's self-indulgent, as many reviewers have pointed out. Justin Shetler was a young white man who had the world at his fingertips; all his wounds, and he had many, can't undo the inherent privilege of his life. Where Rustad succeeds very well is that he doesn't hold Justin's quest up as some pinnacle, or even as something that made him so very special and different. He holds him up as a mirror, tries to dig at something essential in all of us: what are we looking for? Some people go to India - a neat bit of Orientalism, that - but one needn't go to the extreme to feel the need to twinge of a search.
Rustad has a great flair for narrative writing and nature writing especially. I felt a little let down by the thin veneer of the crime angle. Instead, I thought the overwhelming interest of the book was the Western cultural pursuit of self-actualization, and its falseness and its elusiveness, its entanglement with social media and the mythology of the exotic Other, from India to Native American spirituality. Some topics were covered with what felt like pseudo-scientific writing (see: "India Syndrome"), and some of those same topics left me with a bad taste in my mouth. What a lovely privilege it is, to dive into the "exotic" to seek enlightenment! But Rustad is deeply aware of the inherent contradictions, privilege, and to some degree, egoism, involved with the topics he explores. He handles them deftly: presents them with empathy but always with awareness. He treats Justin and his family with the same gentle humanity. It would be easy to look at Justin and condemn his contradictions - his privilege, his social media fronting, his true kindness and his shallowness; instead, reading, I felt sadness for him and his wounds, a credit to Rustad's writing and dedication to understanding a whole person.
This is, at its heart, a philosophical book, disguised as a travel and crime narrative. If society is currently consumed by pursuit of Authenticity Documented on Social Media, of Type II fun, of some "back to nature" ethic, it's worth asking why. I think it reveals something about what we're actually seeking to find.
May 3, 2022
There are several layers to this book. First, it is a biography of Justin Alexander Shetler, the book’s main subject. It’s a bit tough to capture his essence. He is a young man who didn’t quite fit in with conventional society but felt at home in the nature and wilderness. He eventually entered the Parvati Valley in northern India in order to find some form of enlightenment and peace but ended up disappearing in September 2016. The Parvati Valley is known as a place where foreigners disappear, some willingly while others are victims of accidents or foul play. Some are drawn to the area’s pull and take on the life style of Hindu holy people and seek self isolation in caves.
It’s the area’s spiritual draw that forms the second layer of the book. The author goes into great detail on the spiritual pull India has on people, particularly the areas close to the Himalayas. He describes this pull as the “India Syndrome”, which can cause some one seeking their form of enlightenment that they give up their former way of life.
Third, the book is part adventure/travelogue as it describes Justin’s journeys into the Valley and his many associations with fellow travelers and Hindu holy men, one of whom he accompanies on a pilgrimage just prior to his disappearance. In addition, the author does a good job describing the valley, river, mountains, and villages where Justin spent time.
Finally, a part of the book reads like a true crime narrative. While there is no official closure to Justin’s disappearance, there is evidence that a he may be a victim of crime.
The author did a great job of introducing the reader to Justin. You learn of his struggles, pain, and need to find himself. Among his greatest fears was to live a life “unlived”. He constantly sought adventure and fulfillment in simplicity, living in caves for weeks. His social media platforms are still active so you can put a face to the person I. The book.
It’s the area’s spiritual draw that forms the second layer of the book. The author goes into great detail on the spiritual pull India has on people, particularly the areas close to the Himalayas. He describes this pull as the “India Syndrome”, which can cause some one seeking their form of enlightenment that they give up their former way of life.
Third, the book is part adventure/travelogue as it describes Justin’s journeys into the Valley and his many associations with fellow travelers and Hindu holy men, one of whom he accompanies on a pilgrimage just prior to his disappearance. In addition, the author does a good job describing the valley, river, mountains, and villages where Justin spent time.
Finally, a part of the book reads like a true crime narrative. While there is no official closure to Justin’s disappearance, there is evidence that a he may be a victim of crime.
The author did a great job of introducing the reader to Justin. You learn of his struggles, pain, and need to find himself. Among his greatest fears was to live a life “unlived”. He constantly sought adventure and fulfillment in simplicity, living in caves for weeks. His social media platforms are still active so you can put a face to the person I. The book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2022
Inspiring and heartbreaking
July 9, 2023
An interesting enough read. Stories of people missing in the wilderness are always compelling. This one didn’t do enough that was sufficiently different to Krakauer’s Into the Wild for me, so I came away a bit underwhelmed. Will annoy you if you’re the kind of read that needs closure.
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