Sweetness in the Belly

This book by Camilla Gibbs is about the inner-conflicts of an English muslim nurse. born to hippie parents who dont believe in rooting themselves in one place, Lily is cared by a Muslim sufi guru, and is taught to read the Quran in Morocco. she then makes a journey to Ethiopia, and begins another life as a young woman there, teaching Quran to children, and falling in love with a Sudanese doctor whose modern outlook sometimes contrasts with her more Islamic views. she later loses touch with him as she flees Ethiopia, becomes a nurse and returns to her homeland, England, only that she finds herself unable to assimilate with the culture because of her dislocation. when an Indian doctor expresses his interest in her, she has to face the conflicts, and later comes to terms with the issue and finally lets go of her love.

this is a tender love story that also grapples with the political issues of Ethiopia as well as postcolonial issues of rootlessness, dislocation and relocation of a person that affects her identity. this story also exposes the readers to the world of Sufism , and a closer look into the Islam world through the everyday lives of Muslims.

i'll give this 7 out of 10.