Hostage: A Year at Gunpoint with Somali Gangsters

by Paul Chandler, Rachel Chandler, Sarah Edworthy

On 23 October 2009, British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were kidnapped from their sailing boat in the archipelago of the Seychelles.Their yacht, Lynn Rival , was recovered six days later by naval forces, abandoned off the central Somali coast.After the attack, Paul and Rachel were taken first onto a previously hijacked merchant ship and then to Somalia, where they were held for over a year, enduring threats and intimidation while their captors tried to extort millions of dollars from their family.In this remarkable book, the Chandlers recount their terrifying ordeal, revealing the inspiring and poignant story behind the dramatic headlines. At the heart of their survival was their unshakeable belief in each other and their determination to survive, making Hostage an unlikely love story; for Paul and Rachel, death, at times, seemed preferable to being separated.

Genres: Nonfiction, Somalia, Seychelles, Memoir, Africa

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 11, 2011

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was a long and torturous read.
Let me start by saying that I have great sympathy for the authors, British couple Paul & Rachel Chandler, who really did no wrong. They were abducted by Somali pirates in the waters of the Seychelles (they were nowhere near Somalia, as was initially reported by media), and could have been rescued quite easily had the Seychelles Coastguard and authorities not bungled a search by looking 10 miles astray of the position they were advised, and them seemingly not bothering to follow up when told of their error.

Instead Paul and Rachel were taken to Somalia, where they remained under guard in fairly poor conditions for over a year while a ransom fee was negotiated.

Their story is interesting, but the book is hard work. We read almost daily diary entries from either or both of them. What they live is repetitious, daily torment - the reader is subjected to this. They are typically out of contact with family back in the UK for long periods - the reader is subjected to this. They each have plenty of time for internal thoughts and analysis - and the reader is subjected to this. They are also moved about frequently from house to house (house overstates most of their accommodation), are often adjacent to the fighting of various militia, engaged in gunfire, and intermittently passed telephones to speak to family members, but also others who they don't know, but are mostly media.

The standoff, of course is money. The Somali pirates believe they will get two million dollars (USD), and don't understand or won't believe that the family have little money - Paul and Rachel being in a position to draw on no more than around two hundred and twenty thousand pounds. This is all made more complicated by the banks refusing the family access to their funds while held under duress.
There are a few minor spoilers below - unavoidable if the story is to be discussed, but if you are about to read this book it might be best avoided.

So for over a year they are held captive, usually together, but for periods they are held separately -which they find very difficult. The reader has all view of the situation from the position of Paul and Rachel, and therefore is limited to the infrequent telephone calls with family. These are generally all the same conversation, prompted by the pirates saying the family are not negotiating.

So for me at least, this was a frustrating read - lots of daily diary repetition, lots of frustrating non-activity, no outside knowledge of what is going on. At 385 pages, the capture happens relatively quickly, the journey in their yacht to Somalia is done by page 65. There is a final chapter where they are handed from the pirates to a rescue party (after money has been dropped) and a couple of short chapters where things are wrapped up (not particularly clearly). Other than that, this leaves a great many pages to cover their year and a bit of captivity.

The final frustration is that little is really explained after the fact. Money was paid - it doesn't seem like it was their savings - but it is not explained where it did come from. A Somali businessman living in Britain was a key part of securing their release - spending 6 months in Nairobi and Mogadishu in the process. There was money other than the $440K given to the pirates, but there seems to be no clear understanding of how much or where it came from. The only thing that is clear is that the British Government was not involved - having a policy of not negotiating.

While a really interesting situation, I didn't enjoy this a read, and it took me far too long to get through this book.
3 stars

[Alan Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having sailed the Indian Ocean a few years previously, I remember thinking when the news broke of the Chandlers kidnap, how stupid these people must have been to sail in Somalian waters. However, having read the book my heart goes out to them. They did absolutely nothing wrong and were totally let down by the Seychelles government who were in complete denial about the pirate problem in their waters. A friend of mine who worked for Sunsail in the Seychelles at the time, told me it was common knowledge that Somalian pirates were targeting the area, but nothing was said officially in case it hurt the tourism industry. And when the inevitable happened, the Seychelles SAR services even managed to botch the response to the EPIRB, despite the Falmouth coastguard informing them twice of the Chandlers distress signal. Unbelievable and unforgivable.

Stepping off my soapbox now and concentrating on the book as a 'read'. Yes, a fascinating insight into the whole Somalian problem and the struggles and terrors of being held hostage by a criminal gang. However, despite being riveting in parts, there was perhaps too much detail concerning the day to day boredom and depression of captivity, which was probably highly cathartic to write, but made for (at times) a laborious read. I understand this wasn't written for wholly 'entertainment' value, but there was a lot of action going on behind the scenes which was squashed into a tiny chapter at the end as a 'summary'. I really wanted to know more about the people involved in the Chandlers release and the mechanics of the negotiations which were admittedly complex and protracted, yet logistically fascinating. (For instance, how do you go about organising an illegal air drop of several hundred thousand pounds into a lawless country?!) Perhaps we'll have a sequel from the players behind the scenes sometime in the future.

[Acatraps · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the harrowing ordeal faced by a couple kidnapped and extorted for money at the hand of chat chewing Somali pirates. They describe their 388 days in captivity and the emotional rollercoaster as their belief in a rescue diminishes and the prospect of being made destitute by paying a ransom becomes apparent. The story is compelling because it is true and had large media exposure, and this provided a deeper, personal look at the toll and their resolve as hostages. However, the story wasn't particularly well written, but that can be forgiven for its raw emotion. This story is unfortunately all too familiar with still many sailors, tourists and NGO workers being held in captivity in Somalia. I wonder what the future holds for the country and for the many hostages still at the whim of criminal gangs. Stay strong

[Lisa-Jaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book about a true traumatic event. This book could have benefited from some editing as it was, at times, difficult to know whether it was Paul or Rachel speaking. I must admit towards the end I started to get a bit dragged down by the mundane details.

[Susannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this remarkable book, Paul and Rachel Chandler exclusively recount their ordeal, revealing the entire breathtaking, inspiring and poignant story behind the dramatic headlines. At the heart of their survival was their unshakable belief in each other and their determination to survive against all the odds. Although it was difficult to follow at times due to the different fonts and trying to determine who was speaking when, it was a fantastic read, I couldn't put it down towards the end. I become extremely connected to Paul and Rachel's suffering, pain and torment. Great people. Great story. Great read.

[Steve G**** · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a story it’s fascinating and terrifying in equal measure…the power of love these two had for each other got them through this ordeal. As a book, the first 150 pages was exciting then it became pretty mundane…I fully understand why it was done chronologically and in a diary format (they were kept apart for a large part of their nightmare) but at times it made for monotonous, tedious and difficult reading.

[kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good read, I don’t remember much about this story as I was a little young but found the synopsis interesting.

I wasn’t a massive fan of the different perspectives but I guess it’s written from their diary entries so kinda makes sense.

The middle was a little slow going but I’m glad I finished it.

Just wish there was a little more on what happened behind the scenes to get them released, and what happened to all the pirates?

A little bit more editing & better layout of chapters, would have made this a better read.

I think there is a Netflix documentary on this story so might watch that next.

[Ute Weiß · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came along that story on the YT channel Adventures gone wrong (@adventuresgonewrong).

An interesting story very well told by the YT host - but the book was just too long and drawn out. Too much information for me. Quite boring.

Still, I learned a lot about the political situation in Somalia.

[Wangari Murage · Rating 4 out of 5]

A traumatic story that demonstrates that love can overcome anything.

[teleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

it started off good but just kinda dragged on :/

[Ajoy Pushilal]

A real life thrilling narrative of hostage with Somali Pirates

[Ape · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember this incident, case, occurance or whatever you want to call it back when it was originally happening. I had a six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon-esque connection to it, and so paid a bit more attention to it. When I heard they were going to release a book about the experience, I kept my eyes open for a second hand copy. I've had this sitting around a couple of years and have finally gotten around to reading it.

Paul and Rachel Chandler are a middle aged couple from the south of England who are very keen on sailing. They'd sold up lock stock and barrell to sail off on their beloved little yacht, the Lynn Rival, to see the world. When sailing away from the Seychelles and heading for Tanzania, they were hijacked by Somali pirates and due to some unbelieveable failings on the part of the Seychelles coastguard, don't get rescued during the many days at sea. Instead they make their slow way across the waves to Somalia and spend the following year being dragged from hut to house to thorn bush by their captors, who are under the misguided impression that all British people have millions of pounds and Gordon Brown's going pay out sacks of money to get his citizens back. The Chandlers initially plead poverty, followed by later admitting to 130,000 in the bank - which they can't get at as the bank says they're under duress (no kidding!) and won't release the funds. It's then up to the family, and later the ex-pat Somali community who play a big role in helping to free the hostages, to get them out.

This is written very much as a personal account, flicking from Paul to Rachel's experience throughout the book. In diary format and rather long you get the full hostage-experience and just what life was life. Put those ideas of melodramatic blockbusters to one side. Most of the time it is incredibly dull, and at times the book does drag a bit. They are in hot, arid country; which is very lawless and unstable (you can't just escape and run to the local police station to be saved) and a very back-to-basics lifestyle. To keep their sanity they develope routines of washing clothes, lingering over breakfast, books (the few they have) and crosswords to keep going. They get moved at a whim, the gangsters having to avoid other criminals such as Al-Shabaab getting in on the game. The gangsters, basically young illerate men who have no employment, march about with their guns, argue and talk loudly in Somali (which the Chandlers don't speak), threaten for money and generally intimidate their captives. But they do also feed and water them (the constant dinners of goats liver sound dull). Some of them are a little more human than others, and there are moments when the bosses are away, that some copy Paul's yoga stances, or try to have mutual language exchange lessons. For three months Paul and Rachel are seperated, I suppose to try and manipulate them into giving up all this money they apparently have. It's an understandably very trying time for the couple, but they get through it.

Not to belittle what they went through, but this isn't always the most exciting books. Perhaps providing a reminder that whatever awfulness life throws at you - bereavement, kidnap, illness... life does go on. The mundane routines of eating, sleeping, sitting around continue. It may also have limited appeal to those interested in the stories behind real life events, true crime, Somalia and current events in particular. The book has been co written by Sarah Edworthy, whom I presume is a professional brought in to help the Chandlers put the thing together. In her page of thanks at the end she does make a comment that this was put together under a tight deadline. Parts are from Paul and Rachel's diaries, but a lot is possibly written as a trio combined effort. But I found the voice confusing sometimes, as though there had been three captives. It's written in the first person, and just to pluck a really random example out of the book:

(p 298) "Rachel walks out into the bush to escape from the camp, whereas Paul likes to wash after dark, on out 'patio', having taken his lenses out."

Ok, so here it sounds like there's a Rachel, a Paul and someone else because it's our patio. There's a lot of similiar instances where they are both referred to as the third person and then it talks about we did this, we thought that. Nit picking, I know, but it did make it sound a bit odd at times.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this story being on the news and thinking they would never come out alive because of the high demands of money that the pirates wanted, but they did and they are both true survivors after what they went though. This book/diary of Rachel and Paul of there experience kept me gripped all the way through, some of the things they went through was shocking, makes me grateful that I live in a civilized country with laws and rules. I didn't really know much about Somali and the problems with piracy before reading this book so it was a good eye opener, it shocked me how these pirates can demand millions and millions of dollars for the release of the boats and hostages and that the Somali economy relies on this!

I was so glad for the couple that they were reunited with Lynn Rival and that they plan to go sailing again.

[Manan Shamihoke · Rating 3 out of 5]

To start with, I feel sorry for Paul and Rachel to have lost one full year of their life because of this. What they went through and how they handled themselves, is no man feat.

On the book, it's good overall. It gives you a detailed view of his to life is under captivity in Somalia. I was reading the book both because I wanted to know about Somali Piracy and also because I was interested in knowing more about this particular incident involving the Chandlers. Both the expectations have been fulfilled. However, as the books dwells a bit too much into the daily activities, it becomes repetitive after some time and hence you skip some of the pages. However, it also makes you feel how Paul and Rachel would have felt as they were living this repetitiveness.

Kudos to both on how they never lost their courage. A lot of people would have become completely despondent in such a situation.

[Geoffrey Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A riveting read about a relatively recent situation of desperation, cruelty and good humour along with British 'stiff upper lip' survival. Was interesting to view the associated media videos that the hostage-takers made and can be found on You Tube. Writing style was perhaps not so sophisticated and the to-and-fro between Paul and Rachel's personal recollections was a bit irritating at times (like watching a game of tennis at Wimbledon) but the content was interesting, especially considering the recency of the protracted kidnapping.
I liked it and I would recommend it.

[Chris Steeden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read Colin Freeman's book on being kidnapped by Somalians so was really expecting a duplicate of that book but that is not the case. I liked the structure of 'Hostage' with the different perspectives / observations of Paul and Rachel and the ordeal they went through. The images are very vivid which I am sure made writing this book and recollecting these memories quite painful. You certainly do go on a journey with them as they called it 'The Hostage Trail'.

[Sarah (sally) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so disturbing to read. Paul and Rachel Chandler, our dear friends spent 13 months as captives in Somalia. They endured incredible hardships and their story of survival is really a love story. Their faith in each other,in their family and in what is right kept them alive. It is a fascinating book which made me realize how lucky i am to live in a civilized country.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read. The dramatic story makes up for the sometimes-confusing writing style (besides switching 1st person points of view back and forth between the couple, which is fine, there are spots where it switches from 1st person to 3rd and back to 1st within a paragraph). It's a relatively quick read, and made more entertaining because it's a true story.

[Tony Riches · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling glimpse into a very challenging situation. I sometimes found it hard to work out who was speaking but it doesn't detract from the narrative and adds a sense of the disjointed nature of the Chandler's experience. Sarah Edworthy pulled it all together and adds a note at the end that gives a taste of what it must have been like to get this book sorted in such a tight timescale!

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but too long - needed far more editing.

[Chuck Ravetto · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too slow & repetitive. Could have tried interspersing interesting facts or the more dramatic happenings with the mundane.

[Victoria Bell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Helen

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a sailor so had to read this one. Devastating to say the least. The book got slightly monotonous in the middle and so admittedly, I skipped a big chunk and went right to the rescue part.