Published in 2007 by the Penguin Group, the novel focuses on the life of Sepha Stephanos, an Ethiopian immigrant living in Washington, D.C. after fleeing his country's revolution seventeen years earlier.

Running a failing grocery store he ruminates on the past as he faces his own inward crisis of displacement and identity while simultaneously marveling at the gentrification of his neighborhood.

Stuck between two identities — that of his Ethiopian roots, and that of his American immigrant status — he connects almost immediately with Naomi, a half-black 11-year-old, who moves with her mother, Judith McMasterson, to Logan Circle, the small, run-down neighborhood where Stephanos lives.

He often plays a game with his friends, Congo Joe and Ken the Kenyan, in which they name the many coups of Africa and when they reigned, which demonstrates an unrewarding, nonsensical nostalgia for the place they once called home.

Stephanos’ efforts to define himself are somewhat lackluster: although he has lived in America for 17 years, he has shown little growth or signs of assimilation besides his move from "Little Ethiopia", an apartment building in Silver Spring where Ethiopians maintain their lifestyle and culture, and the founding of his less-than-profitable business.

Although there are many rather substantial plot developments — from the eviction notice of the store to the escalation of violence against Judith — Stephanos stays resistant to change and growth throughout.

Having fled his home country in the wake of a military coup seventeen years before, Stephanos finds himself isolated in America, condemned to sit alone in his failing store and reminisce about the neighborhood, his position and his past.

His only solace comes in the form of two friends, fellow immigrants Kenneth and Joe, as well as Judith and Naomi who have recently moved into Logan Circle.

At times unruly and prone to fits and running away from her single mother, Naomi and her quirky ways befriend Stephanos through frequent visits to his store where they read books together.

[4] Naomi's arrival with her mother to Logan Circle as well as her Caucasian and African background serve to highlight the gentrification and cultural conflicts of the neighborhood.

Judith is a single mother, having separated from Naomi's Mauritanian father, who moves into Logan Circle and renovates a rundown townhouse adjacent to Stephanos' apartment.

Now working at a well-known restaurant, Joe often writes and reads poetry and fancies himself an intellectual, representing the effects and misconceptions of the American Dream on those arriving to America.

Living in a heavily Ethiopian apartment complex, he is extremely nostalgic as evidenved by the collection of letters he keeps carefully tucked away and his reminiscing of the past.

From the time he enters America, he attempts to gain this feeling through the monumental setting of Washington D.C., by owning a shop, by emerging himself in the typical "American" lifestyle.

As a freelance journalist, Mengestu has traveled to war-torn regions of sub-Saharan Africa to write about life in Darfur, northern Uganda and eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda.

", The New York Times[10] "The novel's dirge-like tone may put off readers looking for the next Kite Runner, but Mengestu's assured prose and haunting set pieces ... are heart-rending and indelible."

The Economist[13] Mengestu's first novel has received generally favorable reviews by critics, with notable papers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian giving it credit.

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears has contributed to The New Yorker naming Dinaw Mengestu one of their "20 Under 40" writers and has also won several awards and recognition including: MacArthur Foundation Chicago Sun-Times Book Browse (Interview and Bio) Publishers Weekly