Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

• Born: December 2, 1963
• Birthplace: Los Angeles, California

First published: 2001

Type of work: Novel

Type of plot: Romantic thriller

Time of plot: Late twentieth century

Locale: The vice president’s mansion of a poor South American country

Principal Characters

Roxane Coss, a famous American soprano opera singer

Katsumi Hosokawa, the chairman of a large Japanese electronics company

Gen Watanabe, Hosokawa’s translator

Carmen, a terrorist

General Benjamin, terrorist leader

Ruben Iglesias, vice president, owner of the mansion

Simon Thibault, French ambassador

Joachim Messner, Red Cross representative

Cesar, a terrorist with a beautiful voice

Christopf, Coss’s accompanist

The Story

A poor South American country hopes to attract the business of Katsumi Hosokawa, a Japanese opera fanatic who also runs a successful electronics corporation. To do this, they throw him a party in the mansion of the vice president and pay his favorite soprano opera singer, Roxane Coss, to perform. The country’s president fails to attend, preferring instead to stay home to watch his favorite soap opera. As Roxane finishes performing, the audience is moved to tears, and the lights suddenly go out.

When the lights come back on, three generals and a large number of terrorists storm the party. They represent an organization that wishes to free the people of the country from the violent ruling state. They demand that the president be brought to them, but the vice president declares that he is not there, which causes one of the terrorists to strike him.

The next morning, the hostages are brought together, and many believe that they will be killed. The French ambassador, Simon Thibault, is particularly worried about his wife. He used to treat her with disrespect, but since relocating to South America, he treasures her again. The hostages begin talking and General Alfredo fires a gun to silence them. A representative of the Red Cross named Joachim Messner comes to negotiate, and with the help of Katsumi’s translator, Gen, they negotiate the release of the female prisoners. The holy men are also allowed to leave, although one, Father Arguedas, stays.

Roxane is told that she cannot leave even though she wishes to help her accompanist, Christopf, who received permission to leave because he is ill. Christopf, however, is in love with Roxane and returns to the mansion. He quickly falls into a coma. By the time Roxane remembers that he is diabetic and requires insulin, he dies. Katsumi, with the assistance of Gen, expresses his apologies and tries to comfort Roxane.

As many days pass, a thick fog settles on the mansion. The hostages slowly realize that most of the terrorists are actually young people from impoverished areas, with two being women in disguise (Carmen and Beatriz). Small acts of kindness become more common between hostages and terrorists. Roxane begins to develop romantic feelings for Katsumi. She also decides that she needs to practice singing and recruits one of Katsumi’s assistants, Tetsuya Kato, to accompany her. Carmen has never heard opera before and is greatly moved.

Almost no communication can happen in the mansion without Gen, who regularly writes letters for the terrorists. Joachim continues to visit, although he spends more time bringing Roxane things than he does negotiating. Father Arguedas attempts to help find Roxane sheet music, getting permission from the terrorists to contact a friend. When Joachim fetches the sheet music, General Alfredo says he must wait a day to return, but Roxane threatens to never sing again if she has to wait. Because even the terrorists love her voice, General Alfredo relents.

Carmen becomes more and more enthralled by Gen. After praying, she asks him if he will help her learn Spanish. He agrees, also finding her attractive.

Roxane’s beautiful music fills the house. When the food they receive shows up unprepared, the vice president and others have to figure out how to make dinner, eventually settling on the two female terrorists to do the task. They ask Roxane first, which offends her. While in the kitchen, Gen catches a moment with Carmen and asks her to meet him in private later that evening.

Rumor comes through the TV that outsiders might be digging a tunnel to free the hostages. Meanwhile, the fog lifts, and Roxane feels that she is singing some of the best music of her life. Gen and Carmen slowly fall in love, which surprises Gen. A hostage named Victor Fyodorov recruits Gen to help him declare his love to Roxane, and when Roxane handles it gracefully, Gen realizes men must constantly express these feelings to her.

Katsumi and General Benjamin regularly play chess together, and during one of the games they play, Katsumi realizes how close he feels to his captor and how far away his old life seems after so much time. People continue to show each other small acts of kindness, such as sharing medicine, and Joachim even wishes the terrorists could escape without getting in trouble. Roxane knows that Gen and Carmen have fallen for each other and uses Gen to communicate a request to Carmen that Katsumi be brought to her that night. Carmen breaks the rules by doing so, and Katsumi and Roxane make love outside.

The next morning, Roxane is late coming downstairs, and in her absence a quiet terrorist named Cesar begins to sing, revealing he has amazing talent. Roxane at last interrupts him and, believing he has embarrassed himself, runs outside. Roxane asks if she can go outside to comfort him, and when General Benjamin smells the lemon in Roxane’s hair, he becomes sentimental and decides to let all the hostages outside. Roxane offers to give Cesar singing lessons, and the vice president even contemplates adopting one of the orphan terrorists.

One day, as most people play soccer outside, government troops invade the house. They kill Cesar during his music lesson with Roxane and quickly kill the generals as well as the terrorists. Katsumi tries to save Carmen by stepping between her and the officers, and he dies in the process.

Time passes, and Roxane and Gen meet in a small Italian city to marry. Simon comes to celebrate their wedding, and he realizes that Gen must have been in love with Carmen. He decides that they must be marrying each other both because of the love they share and because the love between terrorists and hostages is now gone.

Bibliography

Dewey, Joseph. "Ann Patchett." Guide to Literary Masters & Their Works (2007): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

Gruber, Eva. "Narrating Terrorism on the Eve of 9/11: Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto." Literature and Terrorism: Comparative Perspectives. 87–102. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2012. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 13 May 2014.

Mosby, Charmaine Allmon. "Ann Patchett." Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition (2010): 1–4. Literary Reference Center. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

Patner, Andrew. "Lyric Opera to Present World Premier ‘Bel Canto’ in 2015–16." Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media, 1 Apr. 2012. Web. 13 May 2014.

Polk, James. "Captive Audience." New York Times. New York Times, 10 June 2001. Web. 13 May 2014.

Powers, Elizabeth. "Bel Canto (Book)." World Literature Today 76.2 (2002): 152. Literary Reference Center. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.