Bel Canto

Ann Patchett’s 2001 novel, Bel Canto, tells the alternately life-affirming and heart-wrenching story of a disparate group of people who are taken hostage in the Vice Presidential mansion of an unnamed South American country. The group has gathered to celebrate the birthday of Mr. Hosokawa, a Japanese businessman and passionate opera lover. Mr. Hosokawa has requested that Roxanne Coss, a renowned soprano from America, sing at his party. She is captivating, but at the end of her performance, terrorists overrun the mansion demanding to see the President. He has decided not to attend the party, however, so the terrorists—mostly Indigenous, mostly teenagers—instead detain the male attendees, along with Roxanne Coss, to use as leverage in their negotiations with the unnamed country’s government. As the stand-off drags on over months, the relationships between the hostages and terrorists grow and change, with surprising attachments and affiliations being formed, including an affair between Roxanne and Mr. Hosokawa. Roxanne also brings her vocal talent, along with beautiful music, to a difficult situation; this becomes transformational for all involved. The novel received the Pen/Faulkner prize as well as the Orange Prize (now known as the Women’s Prize for Fiction). It was also selected as a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Adapted into both a film and an opera, Bel Canto is a poignant novel about the power of music and the depth of love.

All quotations in this guide come from the 2002 Perennial edition.

Content Warning: The novel recounts a hostage situation with its accompanying psychological stress. It also contains scenes of graphic violence. The term “terrorist” is used throughout to describe the group that takes the hostages, following the author’s lead. The novel invokes stereotypes about Indigenous peoples, and their role as terrorists here is one of these stereotypes. The novel also refers to sexual harassment.

Plot Summary

Katsumi Hosokawa, head of the Nansei electronics corporation, is celebrating his 53rd birthday at the Vice President’s mansion of an unnamed country in South America. He managed to arrange for the international opera star, Roxanne Coss, to sing at his party. He did so by requesting that the country’s government hire her for the party; they complied because they want him to build a factory in their country. The attendees hail from all over the world, from Japan (where Mr. Hosokawa and his translator, Gen Watanabe, reside) to Russia and beyond. They are all enchanted by Roxanne’s beautiful voice and her galvanizing performance; the party proves to be a success—until it is suddenly and brutally interrupted by the intrusion of men dressed in combat fatigues and carrying guns.

These men want to kidnap the President and overthrow the regime of the unspecified country. They want justice for political prisoners and equality for the working poor. However, aside from the Generals, it quickly becomes clear that the “terrorists,” as they are labeled, mostly consist of young, Indigenous teenagers.

It also quickly becomes clear that the hostage situation will not be swiftly resolved: the President is not present at the party, so the terrorists must regroup and determine different demands. After being approached by the Red Cross negotiator Joachim Messner—who happens to be in the area on vacation—the terrorists decide to release the women, children, and staff. They retain the men and one woman, Roxanne Coss, who has celebrity status and talent and who could prove to be a lucrative bargaining chip. This is not to mention that many of the terrorists have already fallen under her spell; her talent and awe-inspiring voice captivate almost all who have the privilege of hearing her. Unfortunately, her accompanist dies shortly after the takeover of a diabetic coma, and she has no pianist to play for her.

As the unusual situation settles into routine, the socio-economic and cultural differences between the hostages—most of them are wealthy men involved in international business dealings—and the terrorists become apparent. When one of the hostages, Simon Thibault, turns on the television set in the Vice President’s study, the terrorists are initially overwhelmed and frightened; they have never seen a working set before. They take to the device quickly, however, and the television becomes a focal point around which the seemingly endless days revolve.

The other central activity around which the days revolve is Roxanne’s daily practice and singing sessions. After the first two weeks in captivity, Roxanne is desperate to sing, and she asks around to inquire if anyone else plays the piano. As luck would have it, an employee of Mr. Hosokawa’s plays well. She asks Messner if he can procure some sheet music, and a young priest, Father Arguedas, directs them to a local music teacher. The priest, a guest and now hostage, voluntarily stays behind to minister to the hostages (and the terrorists) in this situation.

Thus, the days open with Roxanne’s singing, and the music transforms all of the inhabitants of the mansion. The Vice President muses on his good fortune to be living in such a beautiful place, and he begins to care for the house and, later, the garden. General Benjamin practices his chess-playing skills with Mr. Hosokawa. Gen Watanabe, who speaks several languages, translates for everyone and becomes an ad hoc secretary to the Generals. The terrorists begin to develop individual personalities for the hostages and vice versa. Eventually, several facts about the terrorists come forth: first, there are two young women among them, Beatriz and Carmen, which comes as a shock. Second, the smallest of the male terrorists, Ishmael, demonstrates a knack for chess; he picks it up just by watching. Third, when Roxanne does not come downstairs at her usual time to sing, one of the terrorists, Cesar, takes her place. He imitates her precisely, and she decides to train him.

In addition, during this period of close confinement, love between certain parties develops. Mr. Hosokawa, already infatuated with Roxanne before meeting her, is delightfully surprised when she begins to love him in return; they embark on a love affair. Gen falls for the terrorist, Carmen, who is not only lovely but also touched by the music and eager to learn to read and write. Their teaching sessions quickly turn amorous. The Vice President grows close to Ishmael, whom he plans to adopt when the ordeal is over, and Roxanne grows fond of Cesar, who proves to be a willing and talented acolyte.

After a time, the terrorists allows the hostages outside for breaks, and the circumstances seem utopian. The groups form the unlikeliest of communities, wherein communication across cultural gulfs becomes not only possible but also rife with potential. The book foreshadows the utopia’s end, however. The author indicates at the novel’s beginning what the fates of the respective groups will be: “It was the unspoken belief of everyone [in the hostage camp] who was familiar with this [terrorist] organization and with the host country that they were all as good as dead, when in fact it was the terrorists who would not survive the ordeal” (13). Messner warns General Benjamin to surrender, saying the government will soon grow impatient and storm the mansion. The terrorists explain, however, that if they do so, they will be executed or face life-long imprisonment. They claim they would rather extend their current way of life as long as possible; most of the hostages agree.

After four months, the government finally storms the mansion, killing all of the terrorists. The only hostage to die is Mr. Hosokawa, who throws his body in front of Carmen to protect her from a bullet; they both are lost. In the Epilogue, the narrator explains that Gen and Roxanne married, having bonded over their shared tragedy, with Simon Thibault and his wife, Edith, as witnesses. The translator and opera singer will bond through their shared trauma.