Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
Publication date/ Length: 2009 / 308
Synopsis (from the back cover): In Kigali, Angel runs a bustling business: baking cakes for all occasions — cakes filled with vibrant color, buttery richness, and, most of all, a sense of hope only Angel can deliver...
First Line: “In the same way that a bucket of water reduces a cooking fire to ashes — a few splutters of shocked disbelief, a hiss of anger, and then a chill all the more penetrating for having so abruptly supplanted intense heat — in just that way, the photograph that she now surveyed extinguished all her excitement.”
Review: My experience with this novel was unusual. I requested it from the library when I saw it on a list of best first novels from last year. I loved the title and have a deep curiosity about Africa since I have been fortunate to have visited three countries in Africa, as well as help my sister adopt her daughter from Ethiopia. So, I was excited to read this novel set in Rwanda.
Yet I kept putting it aside, for some reason. And as my other books mounted — from the library and from publishers for review — I decided I would return Kigali for the time being and check it out later. But then, before I went to the library, I kept wondering what Angel was doing… I found myself actually missing the protagonist of this novel until I couldn’t help but finish the novel in two sittings.
I think my initial reluctance may have stemmed from the somewhat stilted tone of the writing — almost as if it was written in translation. The author was born in Zambia and I do not know what her native language is. Over 70 languages are spoken in Zambia, so perhaps English was not Parkin’s first language. And I do not want to belabour this point regardless, because the characters shine through any barrier in language I was detecting.
Angel is a woman “going through the change,” raising her grandchildren after the death of both of her children. She bakes glorious cakes for people, and I couldn’t help but think of two of my favorite shows right now — Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss — as I read about her beautiful creations. Beyond baking cakes, Angel is a great confidant and friend to many and we are privvy to many secrets as we, the reader, hover above her cake-ordering, secret-sharing tea ceremonies — conversations which reveal much about human nature, cultural differences, and the ties that bind and bound the members of any small community.
Angel is so three-dimensional — a fully realized character — and soon her unique quirks and habits — like cleaning her eyeglasses with her “kanga” or skirt when she hears something that she disgrees with — become endearing and unforgettable. As she says, “It [cleaning her glasses] was something that she found herself doing without thinking whenever she felt that someone could benefit from looking at things a little more clearly.” Within a few pages, I felt as if I had known Angel for years, as well as wanted to be like her, too. She alone makes reading this novel worthwhile.
The grandmother sounds like an intriguing character…I like when a story is visual, with those little details that make a story come to life.
Here’s my Salon:
http://laurel-rainsnowsaccidentallife.blogspot.com/2010/05/sunday-salon_23.html
I loved your review! In fact I just purchased this book on my Kindle and I’m already about 5 chapters into it. I’m really liking Angel’s wisdom and her personality. Thanks for the recommendation- I had never heard of this book before!