Hostage [Hardcover]

APPEARED ON BEST OF THE YEAR LISTS FROM NPR, WASHINGTON POST, PASTE, AND MORE!

How does one survive when all hope is lost?

In the middle of the night in 1997, Doctors Without Borders administrator Christophe Andr? was kidnapped by armed men and taken away to an unknown destination in the Caucasus region. For three months, Andr? was kept handcuffed in solitary confinement, with little to survive on and almost no contact with the outside world. Close to twenty years later, award-winning cartoonist Guy Delisle (Pyongyang,Jerusalem,Shenzhen,Burma Chronicles) recounts Andr?s harrowing experience inHostage, a book that attests to the power of one mans determination in the face of a hopeless situation.

Marking a departure from the authors celebrated first-person travelogues, Delisle tells the story through the perspective of the titular captive, who strives to keep his mind alert as desperation starts to set in. Working in a pared down style with muted color washes, Delisle conveys the psychological effects of solitary confinement, compelling us to ask ourselves some difficult questions regarding the repercussions of negotiating with kidnappers and what it really means to be free. Thoughtful, intense, and moving,Hostagetakes a profound look at what drives our will to survive in the darkest of moments.

Guy Delislewas born in Quebec City, Canada. His bestselling and acclaimed travelogues (Pyongyang,Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City,Burma Chronicles, andShenzhen) are defining works of graphic nonfiction, and in 2012, Delisle was awarded the top prize in European cartooning when the French edition ofJerusalemwas named Best Album at the Angoul?me International Comics Festival. He lives in France with his wife and children.

Hostageshows what it's like to be held captive ... Delisle brings readers into the room with the hostage and,lC/