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Based on the title alone, I was expecting a travelogue. Griffiths does go to Antarctica, but his personal travels aren't the majority of the book. Between his journal entries he includes pieces of the history of Antarctica exploration. But Slicing the Silence isn't just a history either. The chapters are topical and include a wide variety of interesting subjects such as Antarctica tourism, human behavior in isolation, conservation, political battles, and races.
Griffiths is Australian, and so the book is a bit more focused on Australia's relationship with Antarctica than non-Australians may care about. However, given the proximity of the two, and Australia's historical, physical break from Antarctica, the Australian bias isn't as bad as it would be if it were written in this way by, say, a Russian or a Mexican.
If you are looking for a Shackleton or Scott biography, you'll get small pieces here, but you'll certainly want to turn elsewhere for their full stories. This is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read if you are interested in Antarctica or merely want to know more.
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