3,096 Days Book Response

By, Alisa Yardley

I started reading 3,096 Days at the beginning of the first Covid lockdown in 2020. Natascha Kampusch's courage through her ordeal from her kidnapping through subsequent years of imprisonment put into perspective the many freedoms I still enjoyed despite the frightening tales of COVID deaths, the unknown duration of the lockdown, and the perception of danger outside the home.

I had my children with me. Kampusch was left alone and afraid, or with her captor being subjected to his every whim. I could order food and drinks; I could open my curtains to let the sun come through the windows, or go outside, or watch TV... the list goes on. Kampusch was denied those things and more for some time before being given breadcrumb reprieves later on when she had been conditioned not to create a scene or try to get away.

What I found outstanding about her story, was her positivity and her level of understanding. She was able to see good qualities in a man most of us would describe as a monster and nothing more. Her spirit and goodness in the face of the misery being foisted upon her is noteworthy.

While other children were going to school, learning about the world and people around them, exploring the many new experiences of teenaged life, she was forced to grow up overnight and endure physical and mental torment, never knowing when, or even if, it would end. Still, she maintained hope, and waited until the moment finally came when she was able to make her escape.

Natascha Kampusch endured things no one should have to experience, yet she found the strength and determination to carry on, to tell her story in her own way-- keeping private those details she did not wish to share and to rebuild the life that had been stolen from her when she was just a young girl. Her bravery in the face of unrelenting trauma and the wisdom with which she approaches what happened to her, can serve as an example to us all, in my opinion.