Peak

Josh is Peak’s biological father, who is a climbing instructor and guide and lives in Nepal. He left the family after his wife’s climbing career—and their profitable climbing partnership—ended. At the time, Peak was very young, and thus, he has not had a significant role in Peak’s life. It is revealed late in the novel that Peak tried to connect with Josh by sending him letters for years that went unanswered. Josh never provides a satisfying response for why he failed to connect with Peak, though it is clear his work came first. During Peak’s formative years, Josh continued to travel the world and give seminars, neglecting his wife and son in the process. When he bails Peak out of legal trouble, he does it for self-serving reasons. This is the primary clue to the eventual reveal of his betrayal.

Josh does not evolve during the novel and shows no real growth at the book’s conclusion. His main purpose in the book is to serve as a foil for both Peak and Rolf. Josh demonstrates to Peak the kind of person Peak does not want to be as an adult. His neglect and thoughtlessness are juxtaposed with Rolf’s genuine concern for Peak’s safety. In this way, Josh shows Peak the nature of Fatherhood’s Meaning.

Sun-jo is a Nepalese boy who is slightly older than Peak. He is Zopa’s grandson and the son of Josh’s climbing partner who died. Josh brings Sun-jo on the trip as a favor to Zopa, but, at least initially, Sun-jo also serves as a backup to Peak; even if only one of the boys makes it to the summit, Josh will be able to claim he took the youngest climber to the top of Everest.

Sun-jo gives Peak someone to compete against but also shows him that climbing can have a purpose beyond personal glory. Sun-jo lacks Peak’s socioeconomic advantages, and climbing is a way to secure a better future for himself and his sisters. Sun-jo’s political difficulties during the novel highlight the differences in experience between Peak, a white, Western tourist climbing Everest, and Sun-jo, a Nepalese boy who must evade Chinese border security, risking both his safety and his freedom.

Besides his passion for climbing, Peak’s twin sisters are the clearest example of how deeply he can love. Rather than stay in the climbing mecca of the Himalayas with Josh, Peak returns home to New York to attend their birthday party. They adore their older brother, and he feels the same for them. Because they are only half-siblings to Peak, they also help demonstrate that the bonds of family can run deeper than genetics. 

Teri is Peak’s mother. She is tough but fair. Peak’s misadventures infuriate her, but as a former climber herself, she understands that climbing has a hold on Peak that overrides his sense and rationality at times. She is always encouraging but refuses to coddle him. At the same time, she wants Peak to avoid juvenile detention, which is why she agrees to let Josh take him to the Himalayas.

Teri is the parent that Josh could never be. She sacrificed her own climbing career after her injury to make sure that Peak would always have a mother, and she does not regret her choice. Peak realizes this when her letter reveals that she stopped climbing to be there for him, not because she broke her back. Her commitment is one of the reasons Peak decides to go home instead of finishing the climb.