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Prisoner is a fairly well-written and structured memoir of Jason Rezaian’s imprisonment in Iran, which can only be described in the cliche of a Kafkaesque experience. I have to admit I was unaware of his imprisonment; it occurred at a time in my life when I was not focused on world issues. But you can’t really understand what a hostage goes through unless you read a memoir like this. And Rezaian, with the help of family and friends, has written a very thorough narrative of his experience. He was lucky in that he was not tortured, but the fact that he was totally innocent makes even the fact of imprisonment for 18 months a form of torture.

Rezaian was a.so lucky in that he was a reporter for the Washington Post, and that status brought a huge amount of resources and attention to his plight. Someone not so well placed in the economic and public world would not have been so fortunate and would likely have remained imprisoned for much longer. Then again, Rezaian’s status was what made him a valuable pawn in the negotiations over the Iran nuclear agreement. ( Note to Jason: nuclear is pronounced NU-Klee-er, not NU-kyul-er. )

The book could have benefitted by more background about what was going on behind the scenes and elsewhere in the world—I would have liked to know what was going on with the Iranians held hostage I. C.P. various places, cited by Jason’s captors, and what role that issue played, for example. Even more detail on the Nuclear agreement. Yes, this is a memoir, but Rezaian is a journalist. I would also liked to have known more about how his wife coped alone after she had been released on bail, how she lived in Iran during that time, and what her employer did for her, if anything.

I was surprised to read the widely divergent reviews of this book. Jason did not make himself out to be a hero, and admitted to whining and complaining to his family to do more to get him out. The book at times went back in time, which is always difficult with an audiobook, but the flashbacks added context to the family dynamic. Rezaian was also lucky to have the family he did, and the brother who worked tirelessly on his behalf.