"Baking Cakes in Kigali" book review

"Baking Cakes in Kigali" was published in 2009, 15 years after the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. One wouldn't necessarily expect such a pleasant, thoughtful, sweet and readable book to emerge from this country so soon, but "Baking Cakes in Kigali" was a wonderful book. Parkin's writing was really similar to Alexander McCall Smith's very popular "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series in tone and attitude. In the same way that McCall Smith touches on current issues in Botswana (like AIDS and domestic violence), Parkin also addresses the genocide, AIDS, and suicide, yet both authors manage to do so in an observant, personal, matter-of-fact way, and "Baking Cakes" is in no way a depressing book. Rather, I thought it was hopeful and uplifting and strangely not at odds with some of the sadder themes the book deals with.


The main character, Angel Tungaraza, is a Tanzanian living in Rwanda with her husband (who works at a local University) who has a small business baking cakes out of her home on an ex-pat compound. The cast of characters are what makes the book so good. There are quite a few quirky and flawed ex-pat consultants from Japan, the U.S., Canada, and South Africa, a heroic prostitute, a clueless ambassador's wife, several international volunteer/Peace Corps types, a well-liked, hard-working single mother, and quite a few more. I think I particularly enjoyed the secondary characters because I've lived in East Africa and could recognize some of their idiosyncrasies, and I've also spent time as an international volunteer and thought her character sketches of development workers were dead on. 


Angel, like Precious Ramotswe in McCall Smith's novels, is a loving busybody who counsels her clients as she bakes cakes for their various occasions. Each chapter is centered around a different occasion- a funeral, a baptism, a wedding- and Angel's nosiness and empathy help her attempt to solve her neighbor's problems. Angel has a firm sense of right and wrong and it's fun to see her creatively "correct" injustices and connect hapless lovers.


I didn't want this book to end. I'd gladly read anything else Parkin has written. I initially read this book because I thought it was food-centric and would have recipes for cakes or inspire some cake-baking... and it might, but the cakes were really secondary to the beautiful stories in this book. I highly recommend this book, particularly if you're interested in reading something positive and uplifting about Rwanda.