Hostage is a heart wrenching account of the kidnapping of an NGO humanitarian aid worker. Christophe spent a very long time in captivity in Chechnya. This book does not go into all the details of why Chechnya, in the Russian federation, is an unsafe place for Westerners. However, those details are not necessary to the story. Told in a graphic novel format with a muted blue and brown palette, Guy Delisle brings the story to life in the best possible way. The reader gets to agonize over every single second of captivity with Christophe. They watch the sun's rays slide down the wall to mark the passage of time. They hear the clink of Christophe's handcuffs. This story is very long for a graphic novel, and that only gives more life to the emotions and frustration therein.
I am so glad one of my students recommended this to me. I'll be reading more books by Guy Delisle in the future.