Super Short Summary

In Ann Patchett’s novel, Bel Canto, a group of international guests celebrating at the Vice President's mansion in an unnamed South American country are taken hostage by a group of young, Indigenous terrorists after a performance by American soprano Roxanne Coss. As the prolonged standoff unfolds, the hostages and captors form unexpected bonds, transforming their harrowing circumstances with music and human connection. The novel includes a depiction of a hostage situation and its associated psychological stress, graphic violence, and sexual harassment.