“Sweetness in the Belly” by Camilla Gibb is a wonderful, literary Ethiopian love story set principally in Harar. It charts three generations of modern Ethiopian history and the meeting point between the country’s two major religions: Islam and Christianity.
The book’s protagonist Lilly is a white Muslim Brit who loses her parents to a cruel, mysterious accident at a Sufi shrine in North Africa. She is adopted by a Muslim family friend who is incredibly well-versed on Islam and Sufism. Lilly finds new meaning to her life through a love of Islam and sets out to deepen this connection.
Life and Love: Two Twisted, Flower-Laden Paths Entwine
Lilly’s arrival and abandonment in to Harar, Ethiopia as the 60’s draw to a close, tells her own and Ethiopia’s story. She has gone on a pilgrimage in search of The Great Abdal, but, finding herself a “Falasha” (landless one) and largely ostracized, she encounters Dr. Haziz an idealistic young Harari physician. Through his love for her, she gets involved in the noble, political cause of Ethiopia’s oppressed people and finds herself questioning her beliefs.
For of you who, like me, (and the author) have never been to Harar, Sweetness in the Belly is an indispensable guide to its beauty, vividness and soul. Camilla Gibb is also frank in her condemnation of certain other countries and the roles they take (I won’t ruin it for you by saying much more, but be prepared for the gloves to come off).
Lilly is exiled to England during the revolution in the 1980s, and feels compelled to help displaced Ethiopian exiles reconnect with their relatives. She never, ever gives up hope that Aziz will eventually find her.
Wise Advice Makes for Wise Words
Ethiopian luminaries such as the extraordinary historian Dr Bahru Zewde guided the author through the landscape of Ethiopian history, politics, life and love customs, and as a result “Sweetness in the Belly” emerges brilliant, powerful and accessible.
The novel’s overriding message is one of faith, where past, present, future, life, death, religion and passion become a community. Ongoing belief and the calling of love in the form she may have least expected it force her to close the door on her past, strengthen her bond with her Muslim neighbours and let go in order to receive.
Reading this absorbing and enlightening book, it’s hard to believe that its author Camilla Gibb is actually a Canadian who’s never set foot in Harar. Who knows, maybe her heart and destiny also lie in Ethiopia somewhere.