When I requested this book from my local library, I had no idea how massive a volume it was—432 pages of hand-drawn graphics by Guy Delisle, my favorite French, travelogue-focused graphic-novelist (of this century). I recently finished reading Jerusalem because I had loved Shenzhen so much, so seeing this in my library’s catalogue, it was a no-brainer for me. I simply didn’t know what I was renting!

This graphic novel is a true story as told by a hostage victim in Chechnya. To quote Delisle’s page 1: “The events reported here occurred in 1997, when Christophe Andre was working for a humanitarian NGO in the Caucasus. This book recounts his story as he told it to me.”

From this point on, we journey with Christophe as he finds himself suddenly kidnapped from his apartment after only 3 months in the field and taken across the border into Chechnya where, for the next several months, he would be chained in various rooms and closets and be all but ignored by his captors, save for the daily meals and bathroom breaks.

Through it all, he wonders. It’s all he is able to do really, not knowing the language of his captors or being able to communicate with the outside world in any way.

He wonders. He thinks and contemplates and dreams and worries. His experience is terrifying in its solitude and simplicity. The greatest struggle he faces is not knowing who among his friends and contacts back home was still fighting for his release. And, whenever he considered release, he wondered how much his life was worth, determining that he wasn’t worth a very large sum, especially if his NGO was to be forced to foot the bill!

Occasionally the captors would dress Christophe up and place him in a decent-looking location for a picture to show that he was still alive and being treated kindly. Then they would shove him back into his cell, handcuff him to a radiator, and let the days turn into weeks and months.

This book is a mental battle and one wonders how Christophe could have survived with his health and sanity intact! I often wondered how his legs didn’t atrophy or his body didn’t just sort of shut down after so much time eating only thin vegetable soup and tea, literally, for months on end. Christophe keeps his mind sharp by recounting old WWII battles and their commanders, alphabetically when possible.

Delisle’s artwork is as impeccably crafted as that in Jerusalem, and despite its being a 4-tone book of black, white, blue, and grey, he keeps every scene lively and intriguing, knowing full well that he didn’t have much in terms of scenery to work with. In fact, I noticed in Jerusalem his ability to add real-to-life architecture to what’s otherwise cartoonish-styled characters. His visual research into all his books is highly detailed and the results are often a lovely walk-through of ancient cities or, as in the case of Hostage, surprisingly varied looks at the same room from every angle imaginable.

This book never tires, though Christophe sleeps through much of it, and I burned right through it in far less time than I had allotted myself. I feel guilty, as I often do, for having read so quickly the fruit of 15-years of intense labor on the part of Guy Delisle, but he understands his chosen career better than I and likely knows that this is the norm.

There’s a fair amount of cursing in this book, as Christophe finds himself frustrated with his situation or angry at himself for one thing or another. So reader, beware. Otherwise, enjoy this suspenseful, true story from Chechnya and be forever thankful that you’re sleeping in your own, comfortable bed this evening, free.

©2021 E.T.

Read More from Guy Delisle:

• Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China (2006)
• Burma Chronicles (2008)
• Jerusalem (2012)
• Hostage (2017)