Happy Endings

One of the biggest differences between Blum's recount of Annapurna and Herzog's is, in fact, the style of the conclusion. Just as she does throughout the book, Blum personalizes the adventure, she creates characters and explains the role each person has on the trek. Then, at the very end, devotes multiple pages to a brief description of what each member of the team has been up to since the climb In the next section, Blum presents readers with the effect the Annapurnan adventure had on many of the team members. What, then, do these additions bring the story that Herzog perhaps omitted for a reason? Personally, I enjoyed reading these two sections at the end because I felt as if Blum did, in fact, create these round characters throughout the story. However, I didn't necessarily believe that because this was not in Herzog’s account that his story was in any way incomplete. Rather, it left the reader questioning and/or perhaps wondering what became of many of the climbers on Herzog's team. It leaves me pondering why Herzog didn't include these short blurbs - or if he thought about their inclusion at all. Thus, the question I pose is this: is the synopsis of the lives of various members of the team post-Annapurna a relevant part of the adventure? Or does it simply "fit" with Blum's narration style because of the personable characters she creates throughout the narrative?