I finished reading News of a Kidnapping, but for me, it will only be the beginning of exploring more of Colombia.
Gabriel's narrative and storytelling ability is extremely compelling. In this book, he vividly depicted the suffering, pain, depression, and constant fear experienced by the abducted individuals back in the 1990s, who were carefully chosen and for only one purpose.
I was quite ignorant, before reading this book, of the contemporary history of Colombia. This was all what I knew:
Capital city: Bogotá... I can't even name a second city other than Bogotá.
Part of the country sits in the Amazon rainforest.
They produce nice coffee...I didn't know they also produce drugs (cocaine) which is sold all over the world.
Gabriel García Márquez, a world-renowned writer, wrote novels like ‘A Hundred Years of Solitude’ and ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’. Other Colombian writers? I've no idea.
By completing News of a Kidnapping, I had discovered other sides of Colombia: narcoterrorism, abductions, dynamite, assassinations, and extraditions, but on the other hand, the culture displays a deep devotion to the family, dignity, and kindness towards strangers.
It's a small book with profound power. I was compelled to read word by word and page by page carefully, however, I was also forced to constantly stop to dig up relative information online to make up for my lack of knowledge.
Besides breaking to research more about the country, a lot of times, I found myself having to take a rest, for the stories were heart-wrenching. While reading I found my mood became like a rollercoaster, as I imagined the pain, fear, and hopelessness of the abducted.
In the acknowledgment section of the book, Gabriel stated that "my only frustration is knowing that none of them will find on paper more than a faded reflection of the horror they endured in their real lives," his testimony will help this chapter of Colombia’s history not sink into oblivion.
