Her Book Self

Gaile Parkin cooks up a wonderful novel with Baking Cakes in Kigali. As suggested by the title, the story takes place in the heart of Rwanda, but rather than returning to the horrific days of the genocide, Parkin's story is set in present day with a more united Rwanda whose people are healing from - though still haunted by - their tumultuous past.

Told through the life of Angel Tungaraza, a cake baker, multiple side characters come and go in the novel ordering cakes for various festivities and relating their stories and conflicts along the way. The vignette-like chapters are woven together with Angel's cooking and she becomes an epicenter for positive changes in the lives of those around her.

Wonderfully charming and easy to relate to, Angel is true to her name. Though her tea, desserts and sage advice provide growth, change and comfort for her clients, the story is equally about her personal journey. As an older woman raising her grandchildren as her own after the deaths of her son and daughter, Angel has her own steps of grief and healing to work through. The story provides a wonderful show of the strength that lies in community and family, traditional or otherwise.