In process of telling her story, Dr. Nielson gives us some interesting glimpses into what life must be like living in complete darkness, with temperatures as low as 100 degrees below zero (before accounting for wind chill), and in confined quarters with 40 other people. These challenges are compounded by (among other things) the lack of variety of food, and memory problems caused by hypoxia. I was left with the impression that a type of sensory depravation took place, not dissimilar to that experienced by astronauts. They apparently compensated for this by becoming more keenly aware of subtle variations in the colors of the icy landscape, being attentive to the constellations, discussing food at length, and having plenty of sex (as evidenced by the large number of prophylactics that Dr. Nielson dispensed).
In her book, Dr. Nielson offers these, and many other fascinating details, and is courageously forthcoming about her own personal struggle with cancer. However, the book does leave the reader with many questions. For instance: How was she able to get away from her practice and family for a year? How did this impact her relationship with her family? What were the other people there like, and how did they come to choose to come to the Pole for a year? What were their research missions? (In fact, I would have liked the book to be more technical overall.) What personality conflicts arose, and how were they managed? In large part, I suppose that the gaps in the book were necessary to protect the privacy of the other people at the Pole and her family, which is respectable, but they do, none-the-less, leave the reader feeling somewhat teased.
Although the book does not go quite far enough, I do recommend it, as it's an extraordinary story, unlike any other. Furthermore, it is well written and told from the heart.