Natascha Kampusch made headline news around the world when in 2006 she escaped from the man who had abducted her from a street in Vienna, 3096 days earlier. Natascha, who was only ten years old at the time, was held captive in a basement cellar by loner Wolfgang Priklopil.

Here in this tiny five square meter dungeon she was to experience the extremes of mental torment while at the mercy of her abductor. Although she lost her childhood, she didn’t lose hope that one day she would finally escape.


The story, translated by Jill Kreuer, begins with an overview of Natascha’s early life. It gives us an insight into those first formative years that would shape her character and quite possibly what gave her the strength and mental insight to survive her years in captivity.

She describes her days on a council estate, where she was used to witnessing the seedier side of human life, from alcoholics and the mentally disturbed as well as violence.  Her parents divorce affected her badly. As well as continually bed wetting, she comfort ate and gained a great deal of weight, both of which was a cause of much frustration and anger from her mother. Natascha refers to her size often in the book and she cannot understand why the kidnapper would want someone like her who was unattractive and plump rather than a slimmer, prettier girl.

The day of her kidnap coincided her first day of walking to school on her own. But an argument the night before meant she’d left home without saying goodbye to her mother and her subsequent abduction by Priklopil left her no chance of making amends, something which would play over her mind during the ensuing years.

For someone so young, Natascha has a remarkable memory, retelling in detail her initial abduction and thoughts while lying in the back of the van. She recounts her terror of the first few days spent in captivity, where she was never sure whether there were ‘others’ involved who were coming to take her away.

Much of the first part of the book details her first year where she lived in hope of rescue. The kidnapper would repeatedly lie to her, telling her no one was coming for her and that her family didn’t want her back. He continually tried to break her spirit and even insisted she change her name and erase all traces her previous life.

Much of the book describes the daily mental torture Natascha endured, from the sensory deprivation where she was forced to endure endless hours with the light on, making it impossible to sleep, to the inability to shut out the constant rattle of the fan which supplied air into her confined space.

After a few years she is finally allowed into the rest of the house, but this is when the physical abuse really starts in earnest. While people may wonder why she didn’t escape during her frequent voyages into the house, it was in reality, impossible. Priklopil made sure she was virtually naked most of the time so she wouldn’t dare escape. He endlessly threatened her with death and continually beat and starved her.

As the book progresses, Natascha reveals her mixed emotions towards the kidnapper. She shows some empathy towards him because she understands he is mentally ill, perhaps suffering from an eating disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. She even thinks he is paranoid and psychotic. The kidnapper would give her small treats from time to time, for which she was extremely grateful. Though this led to psychiatrists labelling her with ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ she refutes this, instead likening these feelings to those of a child receiving a gift from an abusive parent.

Obviously when a man kidnaps a young girl, there are expectations of sexual abuse. However, Natascha makes it clear early on that whatever happened or did not happen in that area remains private and she will not discuss it. This leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions.

Although the book has what should be a happy ending, it’s hard to feel particularly uplifted. Perhaps it’s the reaction of the public who were quite hostile towards her or perhaps it’s the style of writing which is quite clinical and cold in its style but this may simply be due to the translation.

However, the book is a fascinating study into the human will to survive no matter what is thrown at them. The fact that Natascha was so young but somehow managed to emerge relatively unscathed is incredible. This is a worthwhile read for anyone wanting an insight into the thought processes undergone by someone held in long term captivity and also an interesting study into the shifting dynamics of a relationship between a kidnapper and victim.

As an added feature, at the end of each chapter is a 2D bar code that you can scan into your cell phone in order to receive video, text, picture and audio information relating to that chapter.
                              
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Penguin Group
Copyright: Natascha Kampusch, 2010