Once in a great while a debut novelist comes along who dazzles us with rare eloquence and humanity, who takes us to bold new places and into previously unimaginable lives. Gaile Parkin is just such a talent&#8212;and <b>Baking Cakes in Kilgali </b>is just such a novel. This gloriously written tale&#8212;set in modern-day Rwanda&#8212;introduces one of the most singular and engaging characters in recent fiction: Angel Tungaraza&#8212;mother, cake baker, keeper of secrets&#8212;a woman living on the edge of chaos, finding ways to transform lives, weave magic, and create hope amid the madness swirling all around her.<br><br>In Kigali, Angel runs a bustling business: baking cakes for all occasions&#8212;cakes filled with vibrant color, buttery richness, and, most of all, a sense of hope only Angel can deliver.&#8230;A CIA agent&#8217;s wife seeks the perfect holiday cake but walks away with something far sweeter&#8230;a former boy-soldier orders an engagement cake, then, between sips of tea, shares an enthralling story&#8230;weary human rights workers&#8230;lovesick limo drivers. Amid this cacophony of native tongues, love affairs, and confessions, Angel&#8217;s kitchen is an oasis where people tell their secrets, where hope abounds and help awaits.<br><br>In this unlikely place, in the heart of Rwanda, unexpected things are beginning to happen: A most unusual wedding is planned&#8230;a heartbreaking mystery&#8212;involving Angel&#8217;s own family&#8212;unravels&#8230;and extraordinary connections are being made among the men and women who have tasted Angel&#8217;s beautiful cakes&#8230;as a chain of events unfolds that will change Angel&#8217;s life&#8212;and the lives of those around her&#8212;in the most astonishing ways.<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>