I was halfway through reading this book when a friend informed me that this “true story” of a 4,000-mile trek across Asia to escape a Russian gulag during World War II was alleged to have been made up. I kept reading anyway before looking into the claim.
The story: Rawicz and six other prisoners walk out of Camp 303 outside Irkutsk during a snow storm. They then face many brands of privation during a slog past Lake Baikal and through Mongolia and the Himalayas before finding safety in India. For the most part, the trek is compelling and believable, an uplifting story of courage and companionship, until an encounter with two Himalayan sasquatches (seriously) kind of makes you cock your head and squint.
My conclusion: the evidence does suggest Rawicz was never in a gulag, and no one has been able to corroborate anything he writes, so this is likely a work of fiction. Does it matter? Yes. The novelist’s mantra—“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story”—only works if you know you’re dealing with fiction. If this book had been marketed as an adventure tale, it wouldn’t have struck nearly the same chord. You’ll probably enjoy it only if you’re absolutely determined to believe.