Bel Canto

　　美國國際筆會、福克納獎、英國柑橘獎得獎小說。

　　「本書以一個吻起始，也絕對值得一吻。這部傑作既是對藝術與美的讚頌，也是一齣細膩微妙的時尚劇。 ──紐約時報」

　　在南美一個不知名的國度，深夜的副總統官邸人聲鼎沸，來自世界各地的權貴顯要，正為日本鉅商細川克實的生日宴會齊聚一堂。令人矚目的是，全球極負盛名的女高音蘿珊．寇思，也應邀蒞臨獻唱。這是個極其完美的夜晚─—直到一群武裝恐怖份子從冷氣通風管侵入，將所有與會人士挾持為人質為止。

　　一幕幕令人驚惶、恐懼的場景，在蘿珊要求將樂譜送進官邸之後，開始出現了細微的變化。蘿珊那令人渴望親吻的歌喉躍出如夢似幻的音符，悄悄喚醒了不可泯滅的人性與愛情的偉大力量，讓每一個人忘卻了自己仍身處在一經啟動便已無法扼止的險境，淪為她美聲的俘虜……

　　Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening -- until a band of gun-wielding terrorists breaks in through the air-conditioning vents and takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different countries and continents become compatriots.

　　Without the demands of the world to shape their days, life on the inside becomes more beautiful than anything they had ever known before. At once riveting and impassioned, the narrative becomes a moving exploration of how people communicate when music is the only common language. Friendship, compassion, and the chance for great love lead the characters to forget the real danger that has been set in motion and cannot be stopped.