The Beautiful Things Heaven Bears

Dinaw Mengestu's debut novel is a fine choice for people celebrating spring's late arrival.

So … spring looks like it has finally come to Chicago. 

You can see the tangible relief on people’s faces, even as they still, like me, seem a little reluctant to trust that good weather is here to stay, and thus are still walking around in clothes that function in both winter and spring.

I’m going to take a risk and say we’re going to be all right for the next few weeks, at which point we’ll head right into the 90 plus degree Chicago summers for which the city is so well known.

Whatever happens in the future, it’s pleasant out now.

For people looking for a relaxing outdoor first novel, I recommend Dinaw Mengestu’s The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears.  

Mengestu tells the story of an Ethiopian immigrant halfheartedly eking out an existence by running a grocery story in Washington, DC. 

Sepha Stephanons, the protagonist, passes the evening by occasionally consorting with prostitutes, and, more often, spending time with fellow African immigrants.  The three men have developed a game in which they name African countries by the year and name of the military dictator that has come to power.

Stephanos’ comparative equilibrium is dislodged when he meets Judith, a white history professor, and Naomi, her biracial young daughter.  The two have moved into the largely black neighborhood and become frequent customers and visitors in the store.  An awkward and ultimately unfufilled courtship develops between the lonely exile and the single mother. 

Along the way, Mengestu weaves in Stephanos’ memories of his homeland, to which it appears he will never return, his interactions with his uncle, who lives in an Ethiopian enclave, and his poignant interactions with his fellow Africans, one of whom he sees at work in a memorable scene that leaves both men and the reader uncomfortable.

Stephanos’ inattention to the business and mounting financial troubles form another element of the story.

Judith’s forced departure in the end after the neighborhood protests against white gentrification feels a bit contrived, and there are scenes that do not flow as easily and smoothly as others. 

Nonetheless, Mengestu has achieved a significant accomplishment not only in rendering a rarely-told experience of Ethiopian immigrant life, but also in doing so in plain language,  by having a keen sense of detail and by writing a full and moving portrait of an intelligent and reflective man searching for his place in the world.