Bel Canto

Friday Spines Book Review:

Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett

I was slightly apprehensive when my English teacher summarized this book ("It's about a South American hostage crisis") and wasn't reassured by her insistence that it wasn't heavy or political. After reading Bel Canto I can only say that it's about a South American hostage crisis and isn't dark or political at all.

The story opens with a birthday party for a Mr. Hosokawa--a wealthy Japanese businessman, visiting the country for a few days only. The poor government of the South American country, hoping for a factory deal to boost their tiny economy, lured him with the promise of Roxane Coss's voice. Through flashbacks, we see his obsession with the singer as it evolves from watching her opera performance as a child to listening to records of her singing for hours every night. He couldn't refuse the chance to hear her sing at an intimate dinner party, just for him. And then the lights go out, terrorist pour through the house via heating ducts, and all 200 people at the party are suddenly held hostage in the Vice President's impeccable house. 

It must be understood that there are two groups of terrorists: La Direccion Autentica, and La Familia de Martin Suarez. The first is notoriously cruel and brutal, well-organized and ruthless. And the the second, it becomes clear, is a group of shy teenagers with guns. Led by three older "generals", the footsoldiers have barely enough training to cover up their youthful habits and instincts; their guard is easily dropped, and they're more curious than hostile towards their new hostages. 

The government quickly surrounds the Vice President's property with bullhorns and police cars, constantly shouting out demands that barely permeate the thick fog both literally and figuratively enveloping the house. Garua, a thick fog that hangs in the air from April to November, kept the house isolated from the outside world. There's a messenger that comes regularly from the government, bringing boxes of food and supplies that the terrorists demand--demands met in return for the continued life of the important international officials they hold captive. As time goes by, they agree to release the women and the sick--200 hostages are simply too many for the band of 20 terrorists. They'd expected to storm the party, capture the president, collect their ransom and be done, but the president had wanted to watch his favorite soap opera, so instead they took the Vice President, the 50 hostages most valued by their countries, and Roxane--the soprano. 

Life for the remaining hostages settles into a surprisingly gentle routine: No meetings to attend, no jobs or wives and children to worry about, no responsibilities at all. They're not even afraid of the terrorists, no older than their own children, as the two groups fall into the easy rhythm of nothingness. Surprising new talents are unearthed, different interests explored, and many of the hostages form close friendships--and more--with both each other and their captors. 

There is, of course, an ending to both the story and the book: November passes and the fog lifts, and the hostages are slowly allowed outside. Some run laps around the house and some start work on the giant weeds choking the garden, but they have no thought of escape from this surprisingly beautiful, cloistered life. (Please, don't read the next part unless you've finished the book! Enjoy the foreshadowing and keep yourself in the dark.) One day during the hostage's outside time, the government agents that are still stationed around the house storm the walls and begin shooting. Lovers die in each other's embrace, close friends are once again forced apart into roles of terrorist and newly-freed hostage, and the close-knit life, filigreed with pure happiness, is ruined in a few minutes. (No more spoilers!)

The way the narration is woven with a fascination for Roxane, the opera singer, reminds me of Eva Ibbitson's YA writing style. (An excellent example is A Countess Below Stairs, which I just reviewed.) It's not that all the characters are hopelessly in love with her, although that's true in many cases, but they're all attracted to her and her voice on some level. It provides her character with an irritable luminosity that comes so naturally to the writing that it's hard to notice, as we're under her spell along with those around her.

I recommend this book for ages 16 and up. More advanced readers will have an easier time with both the subject material and the language/writing style, and it's definitely a book that you should  enjoy instead of forcing yourself though. There is violence (not at the places you would expect, but I won't give anything away), but it's not overwhelmingly descriptive. Several of the characters fall in love and sneak off to abandoned bedrooms for a few nights, but this isn't graphic or crude either--it fits with the sustained luminosity of the writing, the beauty of simple human lives that transcends even this environment and situation. 

Other interesting things about this book:

• The perspective is third-person omniscient, but it shifts to follow a small range of different characters. It's mostly told from the perspective of the captors, but occasionally we hear from one of the terrorists, or even someone outside the walls.
• The theme of music throughout the story made sense, but I'm not quite sure I liked it--as a classical pianist I understand the universality of the "language of music" and I loved how Roxane and her accompaniest could communicate without speaking the same language, but it felt too sporadic. Her singing would have monumental importance and be able to transform the whole mood of the characters and story, and then for the next part of the story would not be mentioned. I would have appreciated more consistency.
• The ending--it's terrible and beautiful, and while certainly not what the reader hopes for, is inevitable. While the epilogue wasn't completely necessary, it guides the ambiguity of the ending nicely, and leaves the reader with a little bit of peace.
• Throughout the book, the voice is fairly consistent, but the tone of the writing changes with the events of the story: Upset and rattled at the beginning, when the guests are first taken hostage, it fades to sleepily complacent and even content as the hostages themselves settle into their new lifestyle. 

Other books you might enjoy: The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd; The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant; and A Countess Below Stairs, by Eva Ibbotson.

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Happy reading--

M. Gabrielle