Bel Canto

Set in an undisclosed capital somewhere in South America, Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto weaves a delicious story about the human heart told through the interactions between a houseful of guests and the terrorist organization that holds them hostage. This winner of the 2002 Orange Prize and the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is both a romance and a thriller, but displays a subtlety rarely possessed by either genre. For me, Bel Canto takes its place alongside the film Immortal Beloved in its valiant attempt to express the seductive power—and even enhance one’s enjoyment—of classical music.