Sweetness in my Belly

For the past couple of months I have been trying to work my way through Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky. Although I had rather high hopes for Salt, I find that a better title would have been A Rather Long, Disjointed, and Out-of-Context History of Small Salted Fish, Ham and Other Cured Meats, and Produce - Particularly Vegetables - Preserved in Brine. There is no doubt that some of Kurlansky’s stories of Salt Through the Ages are interesting, but I have to admit that I have found the book to be rather jumpy and out of context. If Salt were my only reference, I would be led to believe that all politics in the world boiled down to this one commodity. And while I now have little doubt that it might have played an important geopolitical role throughout history, it would be good to see it in the broader context as opposed to an isolated element in the evolution of life as we know it.

I will finish Salt. Possibly even in the near future, as I do want to see how/if salt is still a political commodity in our day and age [I just recently learned that salt is not iodised in Paraguay … conspiracy theorists, Start Your Mark….]. However, to break the monotony a bit, last week I picked up Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb, one of the many books that I acquired over the Christmas holidays. In keeping with food analogies, I devoured Sweetness - the story of Lilly, a young, white, familyless, Muslim from Ethiopia who struggles with issues of colour; religion; belonging & displacement; custom & tradition; love, loss, & hope; and political & social upheaval in both Ethiopia and the swirling London world of refugees and immigrants - within a matter of days. It transported me to another time and place and I just couldn’t get enough of the story.

Sweetness is so entrancing that it gives you two options, either to consume it as quickly as possible in as few sittings as possible or to make a conscious decision to drag it out so that it will last longer and never end. Although I would have liked to have kept the main characters with me for longer, I simply could not resist the temptation to consume and devour. And now that my belly is full, I am sure that I will find myself dreaming the sweet dreams of contentedness. Sweetness will be launched in the UK, Australia, and the States this winter/spring [February through April]. Get your copy!

caipirissima review: 9/10 [small loss of points due to a few inconsistencies in the storyline and the fact that I cannot imagine any character so naive and innocent to believe that politics and religion don't mix]