You gaze entranced as his destiny unfolds…Vann pulls off the most gripping passage of sea-catastrophe writing I have read outside Conrad, a chest-tightening, concretely detailed, cold, sickening and cumulatively desperate depiction of life turning murderous.

At once memoir, confession, travel book and thriller, David Vann’s A Mile Down is so vivid and intense you will dread to see it end…. The book is a testimony of passion and courage in deadly storms and scarier calms, of a man wrestling with his ghosts and gifts in the very shadow of paradise.

Vann brings his undoubted storytelling skill to his own experiences…unflinching honesty…a terrific piece of writing from a brave and talented author.

An antidote to the usual run of escape-to-the-sun memoirs.

Rarely has a memoir combined such raw self-exposure with such ultimately consoling insight.

Poignant, articulate and at times very funny

This exceptional title is a must for anyone (which includes me) who doesn’t quite understand the psychology of a professional cyclist.

A fascinating insight into the life of a seasoned pro cyclist… I doubt that many riders could make such a story as readable and informative as Millar.