by Alice Weil
“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?
– The Moving Words Review
Official entry: The Most Moving Book Award, Jan. 3, 2022
Book Trailer
About the Author
Alice is half American and half German. She grew up in Bogota, Colombia, and attended the French and German School. Therefore, she is fluent in four languages. She has three children and seven grandchildren. In 1990, she was kidnapped in Colombia for 269 days and after regaining her freedom, she settled in Europe.
Since then, she has traveled the world and immersed herself in the spiritual teachings of India, which she lives by. Through them, she has been able to live her Dharma or life’s purpose by serving others. Kidnapped is her second published work.
Visit the author’s website: https://aliceweilnovels.com/