In 1990, Alice Weil was kidnapped in Colombia and held captive in a dark, windowless cell for 269 days.
She tells the story of how she found the resources hidden deep inside her to survive captivity without taking her own life, losing her sanity or developing Stockholm syndrome. Instead, she was able to remain calm and courageous, always being polite and making conversation to her captors and using her time in ways that she would later be able to draw upon her daily life. The story tells of how she realised that experience contributed to who she is today and upon her release, she was able to face her beloved father's passing, continue being a devoted mother and wife, and lead a normal, productive life.
She also learned that she was capable of closing the gap caused by the time she was not part of her family's life or the outside world.
Alice is half-American and half-German. She grew up in Colombia and attended a French and German school, therefore being fluent in four languages. She has three children and seven grandchildren. After having travelled all over the world, she immersed herself in the spiritual teachings of India and lives by these teachings which have enabled her to serve others thus living her Dharma, or life’s purpose. This is her first novel.
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Reviews
5 reviews
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I was truly moved by Kidnapped.
In a very direct and almost calm way, a truly shocking experience unfolded in front of my eyes. The author almost re-lives every scarring moment and makes you a witness of her own true odyssey. No unnecessary words, no excessive drama. Only a straight look into the eyes of a very cruel world. How a world full of winners loses at the end. There are no accusations, blame, anger or feeling sorry for what is happening. Reaching a higher state of consciousness the author fully understands her situation and that of the kidnappers too. This was perhaps her strongest card to freedom.
This book has all the elements every book should have. A must-read.
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Thought provoking - a fast-paced read which truly makes you wonder how you would behave or indeed cope in those circumstances.
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This story shows the authors strength to overcome this difficult situation, and in every word she writes, she shows that even under unexpected and painful situations we are stronger than the limits we think we have.
With her writing Alice Weil guides you through the story and makes you feel during the chapters all kinds of emotions (sadness, anxiety, pain, joy, etc...) but at the end, it reminds you that the most important things are to live the present with the people you love because you can't take for granted that there will be a tomorrow.
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The now - No past - No future, and I have lived this now with you, through the 54 pages of the story of this forever engraved wound.
I am truly amazed at the strength of spirit with which you endured this difficult ordeal and I also admire the courage and resistance you showed in order not to sink into despair.
This internment, this moral torture, these 269 days...
And even if you found outlets (knitting, music, dreaming...), as a matter of survival, the pain and fear are there. The reader, whom you have brought to share this imprisonment with the right words, impatiently awaits the end of the story to be freed from the weight of this torment at the same time as you.
I really thank you for having offered me the sharing of this part of your life through your book...
Good luck to you as an author!
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“No need to worry, they just kidnap men” was the biggest lie told to Alice and disproven by the tragedy that would culminate in her being captive for 269 days while in Colombia. That is the harrowing real-life story told by the author and victim, Alice Weil, in her second book, Kidnapped. Written in the third person, the book recounts the moment when Lili (Alice) is stopped by a suspicious soldier who was supposedly looking for her brother, under allegations that he was involved in drug trafficking. The problem? Lili had no brothers. She is then forcefully taken into a so-called colonel’s place, and the realization of being at their mercy finally clicks as she hears the lock clicking behind her, sealing her destiny. The motivation for Lili’s apprehension was unknown but unraveled day by day with the presence of other characters. Due to some sort of mental preparation for that situation (after all, Alice had known kidnapping was a real threat since she was little), Lili can keep her mind as sharp as possible in order to deal with John and Rose, two of her captors - and finds out that maybe she wasn’t the first intended victim in John’s plans, and that those plans had been very well devised before she could have known. I will say that reading Kidnapped made me relate to the author profoundly. I haven’t been a victim of such a crime, but I live in a country where it is a regular occurrence, with very similar scenarios as to what Alice Weil has gone through. There are no fictional clichés here; the author’s story ends with a bittersweet letter that is too real and that brings to mind the doubt of what you would do if you had experienced the same tragedy. Would you be able to forgive everybody who had been involved in it?
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