In Thatcher's London, Lilly, a white Muslim nurse, struggles in a state of invisible exile. As Ethiopian refugees gradually fill the flats of the housing estate where she lives, Lilly tentatively begins to share with them her longing for the home she herself once had in Africa, and her heartbreaking search for her missing lover. Back in Haile Selassie's Ethiopia, the young Lilly, born in the 1950s to British parents, now orphaned and full of religious conviction, finds herself living in the city of Harare. She is drawn to the idealistic young doctor, Aziz, himself an outsider in the community. But then convulsions of a new revolutionary order separate them, sending Lilly to an England, she has never seen, while Aziz disappears. Camilla Gibb's evocation of the distinctive world of the ancient city and of its unique religion and culture is vivid and rich. She draws us just as completely into the mind of the older Lilly, emotionally paralysed by her loss. The result is a fascinating and remarkably moving portrayal of a life lived at the cusp of two cultures.
Right off the bat, I think I should point out that my familiarity with Ethiopian culture and history is not enormous. I don't think I'm in a position to evaluate whether or not Gibb's treatment of the country was or was not problematic. I've been doing some reading about this book, and the consensus from people who know better seems to be that it succeeds in a lot of ways in portraying a complex culture beyond just "starving and poor", but that there are subtle ways in which Lilly's whiteness is privileged over her non-white friends and family. Again, I don't think I'm qualified to make that call, so I will not be focusing on that aspect of the book.
In general, I thought Sweetness in the Belly was a beautifully written, evocative book with a lot of emotional texture. The characters felt very real to me; they made a much larger impact on me than any characters in books I've read recently. The writing was incredibly descriptive and beautiful. I've never been to Harar or London, but I could imagine them both wonderfully based on the incredible writing. Sometimes it's hard to write descriptively without the text getting bogged down, but that wasn't a problem with this book.
The juxtaposition of Lilly's two lives was beautifully done. I never felt like different sections were cut off so as to create dramatic cliffhangers; it all felt very natural. I also loved the parallels between her life in Harar and in London. In Harar, she becomes like a co-wife to Nouria, and in London she is Amina's co-wife.
I did find this book incredibly lovely to read, filled with vivid descriptions and incredibly realistic characters with flaws, redeeming qualities, and believable emotional turmoil. It was a book that was full of emotion without pandering to the readers' nostalgia. I think it's just a very, very nice book.
