Bel Canto

As it often happens, I started reading our book-group book at the last minute. Luckily, Bel Canto by Ann Patchet turned out to be a very enjoyable - and thus fast - read.

The book revolves around a hostage takeover of a party at a vice presidential residence in Latin America. It follows the people locked in the building as they wait for a resolution of the situation. One of the principals is an opera singer who was the entertainment at the party and a lot of the book deals with classical music - hence the title. Although I was a little disappointed with the ending, the book had me completely engrossed in the story. I almost fell like a victim of Stockholm Syndrome when I was finished reading.

The book reminded me (and was almost as good) as The Sparrow. I think I enjoyed them both - and why I was reminded of the other one - because each has such strong and engaging characters and the story focuses on the people and how they relate to one another in an out-of-place environment. The genre itself, opera and terrorists in Bel Canto and science fiction and religion in The Sparrow is really only secondary and enhances rather than overwhelms the story.

BTW, the book is loosely based on the 1996 takeover of the Japanese embassy in Peru by members of Tupac Amaru. That's another fascinating story all by itself.