A survivor of the Bataclan attack, Catherine Bertrand has used drawing as a lifeline. In a fresh and self-deprecating style, she reports on the surprises and challenges of post-traumatic stress disorder and shares her journey to recovery. A comic that will speak to all victims, whatever their experience.

Drawing has helped Catherine Bertrand to piece herself back together. She made up the image of the millstone, dragging in her wake and sometimes nearly falling on her head, to try and give form to the pain that is always with her in life post November 13 2015.

When there is no physical injury, it is sometimes difficult to make others understand the devastation on the inside. Catherine Bertrand shares the stages of post-traumatic stress disorder through to resilience, with a humour and artistic naivety that contrast with the brutality of the facts. She presents her state of shock, followed by isolation and the feeling of not being able to reintegrate into “normal” life, the absurdity of certain situations…

In a light tone that is free from pathos, this book offers a touching and brave account.

Catherine Bertrand has always been passionate about drawing and music. She was at the Bataclan on November 13 2015 and is a member of the terrorism victims support association, Life for Paris. Reports From a Survivor is her first book.