…in five decades of devouring climbing literature, I’ve never read anything that comes close to the emotional impact of Iain’s life story. …this extraordinary and ultimately uplifting book… offers a remarkable story of survival, a beautiful sense of time and place, the value of strong non-judgemental relationships, and the joy of the outdoors and time spent on rock and ice.
Hugh Thornbery
Professional Mountaineering Magazine
… This is a book that had to be written… I cannot stress how important this book is.
Toni Carver
Editor, The St Ives Times and Echo
Iain Peters’ book is about the survival, recovery, and creation of a life after being sexually abused as a child. It is beautifully written, full of detail that paints a vivid picture of place, time, events, and relationships without a consuming focus on the brutality or any attempt to elicit emotion in the reader. It is both intelligent and compassionate, portraying the long-term impact of the abuse through his life as a climber and offering critical analysis and deep insight into his own behaviour patterns and responses. One of the many aspects that make this an outstanding book is how he understands his rejection of power, authority and the values that sustain those systems, his identification of the crucial factors necessary to recover and thrive, and his explanation of why it is so difficult to talk about sexual assault and why people stay in or return to an abusive relationship. The focus on survival strategies and reflective analysis is what makes it possible to read this book without falling into a pit of despair and instead to recognise a life fulfilled and lived with joy despite its early trauma.
Dr Joanna Liddle
Co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender, University of Warwick Founder member of Hereford Women’s Aid refuge
… The Corridor is full of brave deeds and derring-do, but it is the courage to bring the full story out into the open, and set it down in print, which takes the breath away. The result is a compelling narrative of resilience and heroism… it is a beacon of hope, and an inspiration to move forward.
Dom Oughton
President British Mountaineering Council, BMC Summit Magazine
… Once started I couldn’t put it down. A remarkable, haunting book… in the end, a joyful book and one of the most moving autobiographies that I have read, full of both deeply felt passion and compassion for others.
Dr. Terry Gifford
Profesor Honorifico, Filologia Inglesa, Universidad de Alicante, Spain; Reader in Literature and Environment, University of Leeds (retired)
’The Corridor’, a memoir about the trauma of childhood sexual abuse, and the profound influence that had on the author, a leading UK climber and teacher, isn’t easy to put down. His pitch perfect writing leads you into his world; I was left feeling I had been on that fearful corridor and experienced almost first-hand the thrill of the cliff edge, the deliberate turning away from the prescribed English boarding school route to Cambridge, and all the adventures that followed. There is a universal quality to the writing, which makes it widely accessible and gives voice - and hope - to the men and women who have experiences that echo Iain Peters’ own but struggle to articulate those dark places.
Dr Elizabeth Peretz
Associate Fellow, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford.
This book is a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. Iain writes with an expressive clarity that just draws you in like no other book I've read. I couldn't put it down. What a story.
Mark Garland
Founder, Garland Mountaineering
… The Corridor… is a beautifully written account of a desperate struggle for survival…[that] goes from darkness to light… I urge you to read it.
Michael Ward
Author and Contributor, UKC Online
… Iain’s book is different. Though it is at times an undeniably uncomfortable read, it is also a frank, moving, and ultimately hopeful testimony. I strongly recommend it.
Tony Page
Consultant Psychiatrist (Ret), British Mountain Medicine Society
… A most compelling book and will offer something to everyone, with reflections belonging only to themselves and this is the power and skill of Iain's narrative. A critical book for everyone who just wants a good read, but an important book which could be used as a case study in training for police, social workers, health personnel and youth workers as well as an academic text for students of the social sciences.
Linda Moore
Retired Health Visitor
… A well-written and imaginative book, searingly frank… it deserves to be read by the widest possible audience.
Nick Shearman
Film Producer (ret), Midland Association of Mountaineers Newsletter