Black Cake

Black Cake seems to be a fan favourite on GoodReads and Bookstagram so I jumped on the bookish bandwagon without even reading the book blurb. It grabbed my attention immediately with a story that begins with two adult siblings, Benedetta (aka Benny) and Byron, listening to an audio recording that was left for them by their late mother, Eleanor. Eleanor begins her talk by telling her children a story about a young girl named Covey who grew up in the Caribbean.

The story is steeped in drama and a lot of emotional baggage between Byron and his sister Benny. As Eleanor's story goes back in time, there are many dramatic twists but too often coincidences drove this story making it a bit hard to believe all this could happen to one character. The foreshadowing was also heavy handed, and it sometimes felt like Wilkerson was trying to do too much. From jumping between timelines, POVs and continents to a large cast (with so many B names!) and a multitude of social issues (that weighed down the story and felt like they were added more for effect), the story had a hodgepodge, disjointed feel.

This is a story about connection, family, and heritage and how one decision or event can have a rippling effect for that person and those around them. This debut is impressive in its scope, and I appreciate Wilkerson's attempt at incorporating multiple issues which include identity, culture, secrets and family conflict. While a bit busy at times, I can see why this book is so popular with readers. 

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Charmaine Wilkerson

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, BIPOC author

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: Ballantine Books

First Published: February 1, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves.

Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?

Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.