Bel Canto

 

"A provocative and enchanting look at the power art has to suspend real life and to create a better world, one in which the differences between people can be erased and the barriers to our best selves can be hurdled."

— Detroit Free Press

In Bel Canto the power of music is truly revealed. In a Vice-Presidential mansion in South America, a group of terrorists take over an extravagant party and take everyone inside hostage. What started out as a tense situation with terrorists shoving guns in guests faces slowly unfolded over several months into a magical realm of spell-bounding music, unlikely friendships, and even love. Life outside the garden wall ceased to exist, in the minds of the terrorists and hostages alike. They came to think only of the present moment, forgetting the past and pushing aside any thought of the future. Hard terrorists were softened. Terrorists and hostages searched themselves and found courage to explore sides of them that were being suppressed, hidden from the world. The barriers to their 'best selves' were indeed hurdled and forgotten. Perhaps more importantly, the barriers put up between people and their differences simply vanished. Terrorists and hostages formed bonds with one another. Physical language became unnecessary; two people could find love even if they spoke different languages. This destruction of barriers was mostly due to the music. The time inside the mansion can be thought of in two ways: the time before the music and the time after the music. Once the beautiful music filled their heads every morning, it was as if every person in the house was put into a dream-state. Their minds began to cloud over, as if the music was hypnotizing or brainwashing them. Even when the fog outside lifted, enabling them to physically see more and be reminded of the outside world, the music acted as an invisible fog that clouded their ability to rationalize clearly. Even the smartest hostages became blind to the imminent danger that stared them in the face, blinded by the music and the love they were feeling. By the end of the book captors and captives alike imagine, fantasize, and even pray that they can stay in the luxurious mansion forever, living peacefully with one another and making new lives for themselves. It is this music-induced mystified stupor that ultimately leads to the tragic downfall of characters we come to know and love.

I had to read this book my freshman year of college at Canisius and it is in my top three favorite books. I just finished re-reading it and I really wanted to write about it. If you love music, opera, language--you will love this book. It is an adult fiction novel and can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of gender, musical literacy, etc. I had my copy signed by the author when she came to Canisius, so needless to say, this book is probably one of my most prized possessions at the moment.