Bel Canto is shockingly my first Ann Patchett! This story follows a group of hostages taken at a party in an unnamed South American country. The party was meant to honor a Japanese business executive, featuring a performance by a renowned opera singer who had been used to lure him there. My favorite character was Gen, the translator, who seemingly speaks every language and becomes essential to nearly everyone. I thought it was endearing how he tried to keep it professional and not insert himself, even though he was a literal hostage. As time passes, the hostages and captors fall into a mostly comfortable routine, despite the circumstances.

The slow pacing and somewhat sleepy writing style actually took away from any real sense of tension - I think the story could have benefited from more suspense. Still, Patchett’s writing kept me engaged enough that I ended up rooting for certain captor/hostage pairs, even knowing their situation couldn’t last forever. While I was drawn into the story and complicated relationships, the ending felt abrupt and not entirely believable - particularly the epilogue-style section after the main crisis is resolved. I found myself wishing for a different ending.

I would recommend this one to literary fiction fans, especially if you don’t mind a slower pace. I’ll definitely read more Ann Patchett since I enjoyed her writing style overall.