Dinaw Mengestu’s debut novel, The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears tells the story of Sepha Stephanos, an Ethiopian immigrant who runs a grocery store in Washington D.C.’s Logan Circle. Sepha’s neighborhood is rapidly undergoing gentrification, a shift that first becomes real for Sepha when Julia, a white woman, rehabs the building next door to him and moves in with her young, biracial daughter.
Sepha’s story is shared in a series of memories that reveal his troubled and complex relationship with his new neighbors, his escape from a corrupt communist revolution in Ethiopia, and the swelling racial tensions in his neighborhood. Simultaneously idealistic and reluctant to get his hopes up too high, Sepha could be one of thousands of Americans who observe changes occurring around them that they have little control over.
The elegance of Mengestu’s writing is that it doesn’t rely on plot twists and surprises to make it work. Just like in the real world, an astute observer can likely guess what arc Sepha’s life will take, despite hopes or fears for different outcomes. Mengestu’s characters are often unsettlingly real in their faults – their inactions and cowardice disclose volumes more than dramatic decisions and heroism would. The author doesn’t beat you over the head with overwrought insights and clever turns of phrase. Instead, his clear, crisp language is seemingly effortless, though it resonates with deeper meaning.
I find his story especially relevant now that I live in Chicago, a city in a constant state of gentrification. Mengestu treats the subject with a fair yet sharp observer’s eye. Recommended for fans of Jhumpa Lahiri, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears is a softly powerful story and a quick read that’s now available in paperback. Pick it up from your local indie bookstore and enjoy!
[Amazon]
