Title: Bel Canto

Author: Ann Patchett

Copyright Date: 2002 – Paperback, 336 pages

Publisher: Harper Perennial

ISBN: 978-0060934415

Brief Character List: Mr. Hosokowa a Japanese Businessman, Roxanne Coss an American soprano opera singer,  Reuben Iglesias the vice – president, Gen Wantanabe – Hosokowa’s interpreter, Carmen – a young terrorist, General Benjamin – one of the terrorist leaders,  Messner – a Swiss representative for the Red Cross who negotiates between the terrorist and the government, Father Arguedas – who was set free but insists on staying

Summary in my Words: Roxanne Coss, a famous soprano opera singer is singing at the home of the vice-president of an unnamed South America country.  She is singing for Mr. Hosokowa’s birthday.  There are many dignitaries from other countries assembled for this event.  Terrorists invade in an attempt to get the president, who did not attend.  Instead, they keep a small group of people held hostage and let the rest go. Over a period of 4 months, the people held up in the vice-president’s house develop and change.  The lines between terrorist and hostage are crossed, and many of the people find out things about themselves that they might never had realized without the unique experience of living in this forced cocoon.

What I Thought: At first I found the whole situation and the way it played out to be off somehow.  From the very beginning the story seems foreign to me.  Although, I guess it should seem that way as I am not a foreign dignitary nor do I live a rich or high profile life!  As the book moves on I find myself wrapped up in the characters.  I felt as though I was cocooned in with them.  Their world became very real to them, and very isolated, so I can see why they would form close connections.  I was less then thrilled with the end.  Not that I did not see death as an inevitable outcome in this situation, but I was rooting for Carmen, and Ishamel to have a better life.  Myself, like the hostages, had grown fond of some of the terrorists, the black and white line faded to gray.  Even though I am very strongly against Hosokowa cheating on his wife with. Coss, I could not help but wish for a happier ending.  Although, Hosokowa was right in wondering how their relationship would fair in the real world.  This group was like chameleons, put in a different setting, changing to blend in, only to wonder if they could change again when released from this setting.  I was riveted to this book, extremely disappointed by the ending, thus struggling to find the meaning in it all.  I find it difficult to put any of it into life learning because we don’t get that kind of set up in the real world.  The only answer that I can come up with for Roxanne and Gen to marry is that they had lost their true loves, and no one could understand the uniqueness of the situation they lived in better than each other.

Other Books by Ann Patchett: Truth & Beauty, Run, What Now?, Taft, The Patron Saint of Liars, The Magician’s Assistant

On a Side Note: I was able to participate in a book discussion on this book.  One of the things we talked about is that if each of us were put in a situation like this, what kind of passion or “Buried Life” (which is a poem we referenced that I talk about in another post) might emerge from us?  We found some characters in the book who discovered things about themselves they did not know, others that let that small part of their life they had kept hidden, out.  We found it interesting that two of us thought we would be like the vice-president and be cleaning, and doing for others.  But we would have done it for different reasons.  One for the act of doing it and helping others, the other for the type A need to have order and organization.  If you read this book, let me know what you think you might discover about yourself.