Baking Cakes in Kigali, Part II

Just finished Baking Cakes in Kigali, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it got even better past the half-way point. Gaile Parkin, the author, really draws you into the characters by mentioning them fleetingly in the beginning, just to give you a taste, or maybe just enough info for you to make a judgement about them, and then she reels them back in later in the book to tell you the real story. She gives you just enough truthful information to enlarge the reader's view and make an impact without ruining the positive feel of the book.

For example, the main characters live in an apartment building in Kigali, and a local prostitute tends to visit some of the expatriates who live there. I admit it, I made some personal judgements about the prostitute, while reading the book in my comfortable middle-class home. Then I found out how the woman became a prostitute, at what age, why she does so, and that she's actually only 17. I got a bit teary, because it is probably a very common occurence, and it reminded me to try to keep from being judgmental.

Early in the book, Parkin also mentions the local dumpster located on the street outside the apartment building, and how it stinks because it isn't always emptied regularly. Even the dumpster becomes a much larger topic later on in the book. I found that small children who had lost their parents, either to the genocide, to AIDS, or to other instances, tend to seek out empty dumpsters for shelter, for warmth, and for food. It made me sad thinking about these poor children, and how they will ever climb out of that kind of poverty. My cats have such a more comfortable life than those kids.

Following the conclusion, the book notes that Parkin heard many of these stories while working in Africa, and then fictionalized them. She volunteered for two years in Rwanda, and I hope she has more stories that she will tell in the future - I would definitely pick up her next book.

Funny quote:
"Would you like a beer?" "No, thank you, I don't drink." "You're not a Muslim, are you?" "No, I'm not a Muslim, I'm just somebody who doesn't drink." "You don't know what you're missing. This place is so much easier to take when you're not stone-cold sober all the time, believe you me!"