A Book about Music: 2019 Reading Challenge

In her thrilling novel, Ann Patchett explores art, politics, and love in the most unusual of settings. Bel Canto is a world of its own that makes the unthinkable possible. Patchett’s transitions fluidly depict the present circumstances, the past, and the desires of her characters. Music, a driving theme of the book, fulfills the “book about music” category for my 2019 Reading Challenge, and it does not disappoint.

In 1954 an 11 year old Japanese boy heard his first opera, Verdi's Rigoletto. It was there that opera imprinted itself on Katsumi Hosokawa and he believed that true life was captured, encapsulated by, and in, music. Hosokawa, now a powerful Japanese CEO, despite his busy schedule, continues to make time to listen to the only thing he truly loves, music. One year for his birthday, his eldest daughter Kiyomi bought him a recording of Lucia Di Lammermoor, starring Roxanne Coss. Hosokawa becomes infatuated with her voice, and in the five years since he first heard her voice on an old recording, he’s seen 18 of her performances.

Knowing of Hosokawa's obsession with Roxanne, a small country in South America hosts a lavish birthday party in his honor featuring the revered soprano, in hopes of striking a deal with the powerful businessman. The evening is a success until a group of terrorists, assumed to be La Dirección Auténtica, a revolutionary group of murderers, take the vice president's house and all of its occupants hostage. Luckily, the group is La Familia de Martin Suarez, a small group not associated with the LDA, and are much more willing to negotiate and minimize violence.

As the situation drags on, the terrorists realize the president of the host country is not in attendance, ruining their quick one-person kidnapping. In a panic and not willing to turn back empty handed, they turn to a large hostage situation that they were not prepared for. After a terrifying evening, the generals of the group decide to release the women and children. All the women are safely extracted except for one, Miss Coss.

Within the next day the first hostage dies, and the generals realize they are in over their head. Yet they stand their ground and conduct a survey of the hostages to sort out those with medical conditions and value. They release another group of hostages and the remaining 40, Mr. Hosokawa and Miss Coss included, are kept for ransom and for negotiation purposes.

Hours turn into days, and soon a week goes by and the environment has shifted; no longer are the guests escorted to and from the bathroom and kitchen by the members of the terrorist organization; instead, they play cards to pass the time. The level of fear among the guests has reduced and they observe how young their captors are, no older than some of their own children.

All of the men, hostage and terrorist alike, are enchanted by Miss Coss, and some of them begin to believe they are in love with her. To his surprise, Mr. Hosokawa and Miss Coss form a unique relationship communicated through his translator Gen, as he doesn't speak English. They act as a comfort to one another and learn to communicate in a way that doesn’t require words through the language of music.

Everything changes when a box of sheet music and librettos are brought into the vice president's house as a sign of cooperation between the generals and the hostages. After two weeks of not singing, Roxanne opens her mouth and changes the entire dynamic of the situation. The terrorists still block the doors and carry guns, but after Messner, the Red Cross representative, brings the box, Roxanne takes charge. "Soon enough the days were divided into the states: the anticipation of her singing, the pleasure of her singing, and the reflection on her singing" (164).

After five months in the vice president’s house, with an unexpected ending and several plot twists, the hostages are released. The epilogue follows Roxanne as she returns to her normal life as best she can after her traumatizing experience in South America.

This national bestseller captures glimpses of the characters and their individual experience and reactions to their circumstances. We, as the reader, are able to sit with them throughout their captivity and learn about their personal history as well as their thoughts and desires. Though I admit I was not satisfied with the ending—for my own selfish, hopeless romantic, tendencies—Bel Canto truly is a beautiful book. Patchett’s clever prose and well-developed plot and characters have imprinted their story on my heart.

~M