Bel Canto Review

Bel Canto, the winner of the Orange prize for fiction, and the Pen/Faulkner award, was one of Ann Patchett`s best-selling novels. Ann Patchett, a Nashville, Tennessee local, started out writing non-fiction articles for Seventeen Magazine. In 1992 she switched to writing fiction novels of her own. Bel Canto was inspired by a terrorist take over in Lima, Peru where seventy-two hostages were held in the Japanese Embassy for four months. When Ann had read about the situation she learned that there were reports of the hostages and the terrorists playing soccer, chess and ordering pizza. From here she had wondered what the relationship between terrorist and hostage could’ve been like since they were stuck in the Japanese Embassy for four months. Bel Canto was Ann`s fourth novel, and it seems like her choice of becoming a fiction writer was a good one.

Very similar to the 1996 terrorist take over in Lima, Peru, Ann Patchett’s fiction novel Bel Canto describes the story of around fifty upper-class people, who are trapped in the Vice Presidents home for four months. They all came to celebrate the head of Japans largest electronics company`s birthday. Although he is unknown to most off the guests, he is very highly celebrated. Mr. Hosokawa is his name and there was only one reason he came down to South America to celebrate his birthday, his favorite opera singer would be the entertainment. Really that was why most guests came, to see the stunning Roxanne Coss sing her heart out in the Vice Presidents home.

The story progresses very quickly and in just the first ten pages the guests turn into hostages. This was a scene that was very riveting, I know through that part I was at the edge of my seat fearing the worst for the hostages as I learned more about their characters. Then the terrorists are revealed, at first they were thought to be South Americans most feared group of terrorists, a gruesome bunch of experienced terrorists who take no mercy. They were obeyed until it was figured out that these terrorists were an inexperienced group of protestors that were trying to fight for something they believed in.  As the story progresses the half of the hostages are let free. The terrorists had not expected so many hostages; in fact they were only expecting one hostage, the president of this unknown South American country.

Unlike most hostage situations this story does not involve the brutality of destroying innocent hostage`s lives, instead in goes into the relationships that are grown between, hostage and hostage, hostage and terrorist and terrorist and terrorist. How could you not bond after being stuck in a mansion for four months? There were friendships, some between a young terrorist Ishmael and one of his leader General Benjamin, as their love of playing chess was found. Then the relationship of another young terrorist and Roxanne Coss were found when it was found that the young terrorist can sing. Friendships aren't the only things that were formed but also love relationships were formed. One of these relationships was obvious, you knew from the beginning Mr. Hosokawa was in love with Roxanne Coss, like any major fan would be, and from there you are hoping they would connect even if Mr. Hosokawa had a family. One unseen relationship would be the one between Gen (the beloved, yet over used translator of Mr. Hosokawa) and an unknown girl terrorist (Carmen).

Although the relationships were well told, and a pleasant break in the story-line  I would have to say the story of the Vice President was the part that fascinated me the most. Being his house that everyone is trapped in Ruben Iglesias felt like it was his responsibility to take care of the hostages, supply them with meals on nice dining ware, wash the dishes do the clothes and whatever house hold chore there was to be done. The way he described these chores was as “endless,” an ongoing process that never ends. He was constantly cleaning and every once and a while, he would complain about the pig sty his house was becoming. He didn't understand why these fifty hostages couldn't care for themselves, why they were so dependent on someone taking care of them.

Bel Canto was very well written, and was in a writing style that was easy to understand, it progressed quickly only leaving you bored from chapter four to seven. I thought the idea of taking these scary terrorists and making them relatable was exciting, it something I never thought could be done. Bel Canto is gripping, yet pleasant story,  that will leaving you rooting for the terrorists and has an ending that may surprise you.