It is that time of year when many podcasts go on a hiatus to celebrate the holidays and while that's great for them, it is certainly not great for me. While I could download all of the podcasts Nick Quah has declared the best of 2022, searching for new podcasts is exhausting and full of decisions I don't want to make (start at the beginning? with the most recent episode? how many episodes before I give up? can you skip episodes?). So this means I've been listening to audiobooks and Bel Canto by Ann Patchett is the latest.
I'm so confused about this book.
This story is very loosely based on a real event. In 1996, members of a guerilla group in Peru took hundreds of high-level diplomats, military and government officials, and business executives hostage at the Japanese ambassador's house during a party celebrating Emperor Akihito's birthday. What happened over the next few months is frequently referred to as the Japanese embassy crisis, despite the fact that it took place at ambassador's residence. The book parallels many of the same touch points as the real event, so I won't write too many details about it, but definitely look it up if you haven't heard about it.
So the story starts with a party at the vice-president's residence to celebrate the birthday of Mr. Hosokawa, in the hopes that Hosokawa will bring factories to this unnamed country. Part of the entertainment of the event is opera soprano Roxanne Coss singing several arias. Eventually, gun-wielding terrorists enter the residence and take everyone hostage. The rest of the book is about how the hostage event unfolds with people speaking multiple languages trying to communicate across culture and class. Terrorists befriend hostages, romance blooms, and how on earth can this end well?
Onto my confusion. The country is unnamed for the whole book, although it is referred to negatively always ("godforsaken," "backwards," etc.). This just struck me as wrong and stereotyping of an entire swath of the Spanish-speaking world. I also found the noble savage trope to be rampant throughout the whole thing. Sure, that young guerilla is a budding opera singer and the other one is a savant when it comes to languages. Sure. Why not?
I was utterly befuddled by the book, to be honest. At first I thought it was going to be an exploration of Stockholm syndrome, but she never even goes there. Then I thought it was going to be an exploration of the impossibility of diplomatic relations with a non-recognized military actor when she introduced a Red Cross representative to do negotiations, but that quickly fell away. What is the book even about? It soon morphed into a soap opera and then the ending happened and I realized that I was seriously invested in the characters (somehow - it snuck up on me!). Maybe this was a book I liked? And then the epilogue happened and I realized that whatever goodwill Patchett had earned was sucked away.
So, yeah. Confusing. 3.5/5 stars, but I don't think you need to read this unless you also want to be confused.
I read this years ago when my mother recommended it. She compared it to a book we both loved, so I went into it with those expectations, and was befuddled. It was nothing like it! And what on earth was it even about? I don't even remember details at this point, just my complete confusion throughout.
ReplyDeleteWHAT IS IT ABOUT?! That is 100% my confusion. Maybe I just missed the opera metaphor that would tell me what I was supposed to be getting out of the book. It was well written, but I am still confused.
DeleteInteresting! This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for years, and now I feel justified in not reading it. There are too many great books out there to waste precious reading time on a 3.5 star.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you need to read this one. Drop that copy you own off at a Little Free Library and go on to better books.
DeleteI started and didn't finish this one. I can't remember why...perhaps I was also confused?!
ReplyDeleteThe start was really rough and violent. I can see why you might not make it through the first part.
DeleteThis has been on my TBR list since early 2020, when someone told me it was their all-time favourite book. I like Patchett, so it's been on my list, but not TOP of my list. I was interested to read your take, as I have only ever heard rave reviews about it. I am going to have to read it now to see! Do you think it would be a different experience reading, versus the audio version? I've never listened to an audiobook, to be honest. I am sorry so many of your podcasts are on hiatus already! What is up with that? Mine are still going strong! I do have a pretty big list of things I have downloaded but haven't listened to yet, so I'll probably be okay over the holidays. Lol, "okay."
ReplyDeleteI don't know if reading it would have helped me with my confusion. The theme(s)? were just muddy and unclear and I wasn't sure what message I was supposed to be taking away from it. I thought the narrator did a good job and I ended up caring about the characters, so I don't think that listening to it was the problem.
DeleteOh, the eternal December/January hiatus problem of podcasts. I don't really begrudge anyone time off during the holidays, but it does make me have to be a tiny bit more creative in figuring out what I'll be listening to on dog walks!
I read this .... a couple decades ago? I remember thinking the writing was exquisite and that I also fell in love with the characters, while having absolutely NO IDEA what was going on. (I did not know or look into the fact that it was based on a true story.) A feat, I think.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's so confusing. I didn't know what was going on, but I did start to care about what was going on. A mysterious type of writing.
DeleteI also read this many years ago, and I adored it. I resisted reading it because the description didn't really interest me, but for some reason I eventually picked it up. I loved the writing, it really struck me. I've read several of her books, most recently These Precious Days and The Dutch House. I don't love all of her work, but I would happily recommend both of these books. Of course, since I loved Bel Canto, you may want to take my suggestion with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteI might dip back into Patchett here and there. The writing was quite good. Maybe I'll read one more before I make a final decision on whether or not I'm a lady who reads Ann Patchett.
DeleteTrue confession: I've heard great things about Ann Pachett but I have some kind of block that's keeping me from reading her books. After reading your review...everything that you said resonates with me and I don't need to be any more confused that I am already am.
ReplyDeleteI'd honestly never even heard of Ann Patchett before I stumbled upon this book because it won the Women's Prize for Fiction and I'm trying to read all of those. It's fascinating that so many people love her books, so maybe I'll give her one more book before I decide if she's an author for me.
DeleteI read this on audio too - it had been made into an opera so I was curious. I don't think I cared much for the audiobook narrator (she kept pronouncing opera words wrong!), but I liked the story itself. The one bit that stuck in my head was the part about the food arriving and having to figure out who is going to cook it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked The Dutch House, read by Tom Hanks. He doesn't do that thing where narrators try to embody all the characters of the story and sort of disappear, but rather it kind of feels like Tom Hanks came over, sat down in your living room, picked up The Dutch House and just started reading it out loud. The book itself was a little unsatisfying, but the audio experience was quite enjoyable.
I also read Patchett's essay collection This is the Story of a Happy Marriage and quite liked it. It was a while ago so I can't remember why, but I remember it being really well written and wise.
Hmmm...I did not notice that she said the opera words wrong, but I did notice that some of the Spanish words were said in a way I had not heard before and I chalked it up to the way Spanish has so many variations and dialects. That scene when the French guy assumed the woman would know how to cook was classic, I agree!
DeleteMaybe I'll read more of Patchett. I just feel like there are so many good books out there and I can't be going around wasting time with confusing books!