a really great and wonderfully written book
The Author:
Ann Patchett, an american writer, was born in 1963. She wrote her first book during her studies and was a Guggenheim Fellow and a Tennessee Williams Fellow for creative writing. Patchett writes novels, short stories and essays. Bel Canto is one of her best known books. Ann Patchett was honored with the Pen/Faulkner Award and with the Orange Prize for Fiction for Bel Canto. The book is inspired by the Lima Crisis in 1996, when fourteen members of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement took hundred of diplomats, governments an military officials hostage. Other books from Patchett are: The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Truth and Beauty, Run as well as State of Wonder and Truth and Beauty and What now?.
The Story:
An unnamed South American country throws a birthday party in honor of the japanese industrial titan Hosokawa to promote foreign trade. They invited the world-famous soprano Roxane Coss to persuade Hosokawa to come. Just as the soprano finishes her song, a gang of kindnappers storms the villa through the air-conditioning ducts with the main goal to kidnapp the president of the country. But the president stayed home to watch his favorite soap opera, and thus the story turns into an unexpected takeover which brings together unlikely assortments of hostages.
Press:
„A cleverly placed, suspenseful novel told with great emotional delicacy; its author earns a powerful, unexpected ending. To be read at a single sitting.“ - Erica Wagner, The Times
„Siege mentality at its most liberating.“ - Independent
Opinion:
„They were all looking right at her when the lights went out. They were still applauding, each on his or her feet, still in the fullest throes of hands slapping together, elbows up. […] No one was frightened of the darkness.“ (Ann Patchett, Bel Canto, 1 and 2, HarperCollinsPublishers Inc.)
The book describes a takeover, which took unexpected turns for hostages and terrorists alike. Among the hostages we can find Hosokawa and Roxanne Coss, but also an assortment of Russian, Italian and French diplomats. Thus, Mr. Hosokawa’s professional translator Gen plays an important role for both sides. A Red Cross negotiator, Joachim Messner, somehow stumbles into the story while on holiday. He begins to speak for the country and the hostages and negotiates terms and demands. As the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months, the terrorists and hostages start to form some kind of everyday life together. They all have to deal with this situation, and the hostages and terrorist start some odd but hopeful relationships. I began to hope for these two odd couples, which found their heaven on earth in all this mess and wanted so badly that they will find a happy end.
Ann Patchett tells the story from both side of views and flits in and out of the personalities and hearts of the hostages and terrorist. Thus, she reveals, that all of them are human, have feelings, families and dreams and all want the same thing, to go back home or, as the months pass, to live like this forever and just coexist. During the entire time, the soprano and her music, brings them all together and makes the time stop for a few moments every single day, while they all just listen to the music.
„Soon enough the days were divided into three states: the anticipation of her singing, the pleasure of her singing, and the reflection on her singing.“ (Ann Patchett, Bel Canto, Page 164, HarperCollinsPublishersInc.)
The book has something powerful and let me hope for the best in people. I became more and more excited from page to page and started to like all of them, even most of the terrorist, because all of them are just human. The book is crisply written, faultlessly plotted and, even though I didn’t expected it, at some points funny. I really loved the book and enjoyed reading it. It tells not only the story of a takeover, it tells the story of deep and moving friendships, who could not exist in the outside world. Both terrorist and hostages, are able to develop a routine of their own and are ready to accept, that this house and this situation is their home now. I loved the role of Glen, the translator. He is the one, who brings them all together, while translating their thoughts to each other. He interprets not only the things the terrorists and hostages say but also their feelings and love between them.
Conclusion:
The book made me a Patchett fan. Once I started reading, I couldn’t tear myself away from this book. Ann Patchett was able to describe the characters with so much passion and love, that I started to feel deeply attached to them. That’s why I almost cried while reading the last chapter and couldn’t believe what I was reading. I wanted to shout out loud and throw the book away and at the same time just loved it and read on and on. I quickly accepted the end and realized, that it was the only possible ending for such a great story. I just loved the story and Patchett did a wonderful job. I only have one minor point of critisism. I didn’t like the epilogue at all. I really think the book would be better of without it and it is just unnecessary. But all in all Bel Canto is a really great and wonderfully written book.