The Bells

The Bells (2010), a historical novel by Richard Harvell, tells the story of a castrated opera singer with extraordinary hearing who becomes famous across Europe for somehow fathering a child. Harvell’s debut novel, it was nominated for the 2010 Goodreads Choice Award. Critics praise the story’s musical style and its complex characterization. Reviewers claim that the castration scene in the book is one of the most powerful castration scenes in literature. An American writer, Harvell studied English Literature at Dartmouth before moving to Switzerland. The Swiss Alps inspired The Bells.

The story takes place in the eighteenth century. Nicolas Froben’s father is Moses Froben. Nicolas doesn’t understand how Moses sired him, because he supposedly lost his manhood years ago. Moses does not know how to explain the situation to Nicolas, and so he writes him a letter instead. The letter tells Nicolas the story of Moses’s life, from birth to the end.

Moses begins by explaining his ancestry. His mother was a deaf woman who lived in a small Swiss village. Although she was deaf, she rang the church bells every day. She somehow knew exactly how to ring them to produce the most exquisite sounds. The sounds shaped his entire childhood, and he still remembers them clearly.



Moses does not know who sired him. His mother never spoke of his father. Because of her disability, she could not communicate with anyone but Moses. No one else tried to understand her. Moses cannot ask the other villagers about his father because, although it is a small village, no one tells Moses anything.

While his mother cannot hear, Moses has extraordinary hearing. An expert eavesdropper, he discovers all the town’s secrets. He overhears the village priest talking about him. It turns out that this priest is his father. The priest took advantage of his mother and then abandoned her. Moses feels he cannot tell anyone the truth because they won’t believe him.

Although his mother is responsible for the church bells, she is poorly paid, and they often go hungry. The townsfolk scorn and ridicule them. When his mother dies, things become worse. The priest tells Moses that he is Moses’s father. He plans to kill Moses. He throws Moses into a river, leaving him to drown.



Two passing monks spy Moses in the water, and they save him. Moses discovers that the monks love each other. They tried to hide their relationship from the abbot, but he discovered their secret and shamed them. Although they do not want to return to the monastery, there is nowhere else to go. They take Moses with them.

Moses spends his days singing, praying, and playing music. The monks love listening to him. Although they want to know more about his background, Moses does not talk about his parents. He is ashamed of his father. He might conceal his heritage, but he cannot hide his musical gifts. The choirmaster hears his voice and falls in love with it.

For a time, everything is okay at the monastery. However, once Moses reaches puberty, his voice breaks. Not wanting his voice to change, the choirmaster castrates Moses in secret. Castration is detested in Switzerland. Moses cannot tell anyone because they will ridicule him. He is miserable and he hates his talent.



One day, Moses falls in love with a beautiful woman. He watches her from afar because he cannot give her children. The woman loves Moses, but she thinks he is indifferent towards her. She marries someone else. Meanwhile, everyone discovers the gay monks and the abbot throws them out. Moses is lost, alone, and depressed. He cannot stay at the abbey any longer.

Moses makes for Vienna, where castrated musicians are revered. Here, he takes on a new name – Lo Svizzero. He completely shuns his former identity, and he doesn’t talk about his past. He wants love and friendship, although he knows he can’t have a family. Crowds gather to hear him sing, and everyone admires him, but admiration cannot take the place of love.

In Europe, Moses seeks out the two monks who saved him as a child. They are still together and very much in love. Here, Moses also finds new musical opportunities, and he rises to fame across the continent. There is still something missing from his life, however. He wants to find his old love, Amalia, again.



Moses finds Amalia. She is unhappy with her current marriage, although she now has a small son, Nicolas. Moses tells her about his castration because she deserves to know the truth. She admits that she loves him anyway. They run away together, taking Nicolas with them. Although Moses is not Nicolas’s biological father, he raises him as his own. Now he believes it is time that Nicolas know the truth about his own heritage.