I found the opening of the book with a reading of a will to be very catching. Charmaine Wilkerson does not disappoint. This is a story of a brother and sister and how they grew apart and then found each other. It's a story of a mother with secrets that are revealed. It's a story of the times, cultures and most of all how a Black Cake ties them together. This is a good book for book club discussions.

Delightful on many levels, this book took me by surprise. As someone who, like the author, is of Caribbean parentage, I loved the full and lush descriptions of small village life in what felt transparently to be Jamaica, though the narrative does not say so. I also loved (at first) the style of prose that was like an oral history being told by one of your elders, sprinkled with folkloric elements that make you question whether what you're being told is strictly factual, or colored and shaped by long-ago perceptions and difficult emotions. One example of that would be Gibbs' and Covey's reunion in the UK. 'Did it happen like that?' 'Could it have?' you want to ask. But because it is such a personal history, you hesitate to question it, and believe that where it may or may not be factually accurate, it is emotionally authentic.

And I don't know if it's because I have some cultural references that make it all make sense, but in a really lovely way, this story felt familiar. Not in the sense of my having read it before, but as something that speaks to parts of me that I hold closest: heritage, family, and the places where I come from. But back to the prose. The book began to falter for me a little when we got to the heavy stuff, Covey's revelations of her history in the UK—the loneliness and isolation, the fate of her only friend, what happened to her in the factory. Most of those very weighty topics were dealt with in summary fashion, giving us very little of Covey's interior. Interior monologue in general was for me a little bit of a problem in this novel. Not that there was too much of it (I hardly ever have that complaint) but that what we did get felt almost shallow.

Byron was more likely to wax philosophical about the state of the world's oceans and Black kids in STEM than he was to pine for his ex-girlfriend or ruminate on the coming change in their lives; Benny shed some tears of regret for having missed her chance at saying goodbye to her father but after almost a decade of silence, struggled almost not at all to share with her brother why she had missed that chance (the reason being pretty darn huge, I thought); and the reconciliation between Benny and Byron happened with a conversation and a hug, and no further thought by either of them about what they had lost before that reconciliation occurred.

I felt something for these characters (particularly Benny and Byron) because their circumstances demanded that we feel something for them. But it felt distant. I didn't feel a particularly strong stake in whether or not at the end they got what they were looking for. Which brings me to the end—a little too pat, with the final chapters being among the shortest and most summarized of the entire book. There was little opportunity for the reader to 'sit with' and truly feel the characters' (Benny, Byron and Marble specifically) new revelations and realities. It was almost like, "and they lived happily ever after."

Having said all that, I did enjoy this book immensely and especially appreciate and respect that the author took the bold step of telling this story in the way that she told it—without regard for some of the predictable criticisms about her ignoring traditional literary conventions. It's a new day in literature, and I for one welcome all the new voices, like this one. Looking forward to more from Charmaine Wilkerson.

I struggled with all the trauma in Black Cake. There was so much. The book was well written but I had to stop at multiple times to pause and process the pain everyone was enduring or had endured.

This is a multilayered plot of family secrets.

Byron and Benny are called by their mother's lawyer after her death to go through her will the way she wanted it done. There are a lot of stories to get them to the end and they learn some startling family secrets in those stories.

This is a book about healing family relationships after the death of a loved one. There are a lot of big feelings and a lot of guilt processing in this book while the story unfolds.

There are many heavy topics that are touched on that may make this a difficult read for some people. It is very well written and engages the reader through the entire book.

This was such an interesting story! I really enjoyed the unique plot and the characters. I look forward to the author’s next work!

First off, this has to be one of my favorite covers of all-time! So beautiful! This book had a lot of interesting threads, but the execution was a little bit lacking for me.

The story follows siblings, Byron and Benny, who reunite after an estrangement when their mother passes away. Their mother leaves them a recording unveiling many family secrets. The story is told in flashbacks to when the mother was young and with the backgrounds of the two siblings. I loved the setting of the Caribbean and the many unique characters. However, there were elements of the writing that left me a little confused. The jumping between time periods is rather disjointed (especially when Byron or Benny are recounting some of their adult lives). It was hard for me to keep track of when certain events occurred. There are also a ton of characters to keep track of and some of the names were way too similar (Benny vs Bunny, etc.). I also had an issue with the lack of suspense - every single reveal was pretty obvious to me.

All that being said, Wilkerson was able to create characters that I truly fell in love with and was rooting for (especially the mother). Because this is her debut novel, I think she could write some truly great pieces down the line. Her imagery and the connection between generations with the black cake recipe was lovely. Although this wasn't a surefire hit for me, I would still look out for future works from her, and I'll be checking out the series that just came out on Hulu.

Lots to think about in this book, and some interesting twists. Great beginning that I went back to at the end; it was probably not what you initially thought! I listened to the audio, which was very well done. (It was returned to the library once, so I had to wait to get it back to finish.)
At times, introducing a new character without revealing the connection for a bit got to be a bit much. I have to admit, I did fall asleep when the story of Marble began and tried to backtrack. Did we find out how Covey found her?
I also felt that the story of Mathilda was wrapped up too abruptly, and had more questions.
The premise of the audio to bring siblings together and tell the story was a very good one!

What are the ingredients needed for a good book? Author Charmaine Wilkerson's Black Cake was part complex characters mixed in with half a cup of intrigue and a sprinkle of social commentary and topped with a touch of historical context.

While the book started off a little slow, it ratcheted up and up and up with each plot twist. Each time I wondered what would be revealed next. There were times I was left utterly confused by how many characters changed their names but that didn't stop me following down the rabbit hole. I continued on until Byron and Benny found some semblance of peace, not in knowing who their mother was but what she endured and what she legacy she left behind.

Storytelling is an art and Charmaine is an artist!

Unique! I loved the setting and learning about the culture. I did feel the story slowed down in the middle but it still fascinated me in so many ways. The characters and their interactions with each other and their growth, just made the whole book.

What a beautiful sweeping historical story, full of heart, memory, identity, connection, and redemption. I loved the alternating chapters, the slow unraveling of the truth, and the beautiful portrayals of Jamaican culture and setting.

I have had Black Cake on my TBR for a while, but the new series on Hulu pushed me to read before I watch, and I'm now firmly putting Black Cake in the why-did-I-wait-so-long category. There are books that I read for the pure entertainment value, the ability to get lost in the drama of it all, and then there are true pieces of art like Black Cake. Charmaine Wilkerson managed to take me from the islands of the Caribbean to England and then to southern California as we followed Covey through life. Her strength and perseverance shines through in every page.

A long kept secret revealed after the death of their mother, new family found, and a cherished recipe passed through generations! I loved the varying perspectives of this story, making sure we got all the views of the things happening in the pages! It really goes to show that sometimes... you really have no idea about a person, even those closest to you!

Let me start off by saying I enjoyed how the story began, that immediately intrigued me and sucked me into the story. I liked getting to read from different perspectives to really understand the whole story but the mom's story confused me enough to take me out of the story. It's objectively a well-thought out book but with how many different POVs there was the story is way too difficult to follow. I did end up having to look up spoilers to understand what was going on and unfortunately this book did have my least favorite trope.

*Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books for the gifted copy for my honest review*

I really felt that this book really offered something different and I really enjoyed the backstory of the mother and family. The tie in with the black cake was beautiful. I loved how the story unwound and the pieces came together. All of sudden though this book turns into social commentary out of nowhere and it seriously ruined what this author has created. There was no place in this book for that and it was just forced into being. I understand that our social climate in the US is a mess, however this was not the place to unwrap this. This was just devastating for this book. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

This is a story of secret heartbreak and family life built on lies. For the grown children of Eleanor Bennett, their inheritance includes a recording of their mother's true life story. Her life story is nothing like what they were told as children. It is a compelling read. I would like to have seen a more in depth character study of the children, Benny and Byron. This is a great novel for book club discussions.

This books was a lovely story. I honestly felt that I could have kept reading about the characters indefinitely! Highly recommend.

I almost gave up on this one, again. I’m glad I didn’t. It is a story of family but there is also some murder and mystery involved.

I’m anxious to see what Hulu does with it.

A Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction and for Debut Novel (2022), and a Book of the Month Book of the Year Award Nominee (2022), Black Cake is a beautiful novel about secrets, family, love, and loss.

The author’s complex plot unfolds in vignettes that alternate among different times, places, and viewpoints. Unfortunately, the multiple alternating timelines/storylines became confusing, even more so as the story progressed. More than once, I double-checked to make sure I was still reading the same book more than once.

I like stories with complex characters, and deep themes, but this author overdid it with social issues. It was just too much. I also found the pacing to be a trifle slow.

Incidentally, black cake is a boozy Caribbean cake filled with dried fruit such as prunes, raisins, cherries, and currants and loaded with dark rum and dessert wine or cherry brandy. I’m not keen on fruitcake, but this one might be worth a try. One must think ahead, though, as the fruit should be soaked in the alcohol for between 7 days and six months.

If you enjoyed Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half, or Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, this is a good choice. Black Cake is a beautiful, poignant, and descriptive novel from a talented debut author. I look forward to watching the Hulu series, which is scheduled for release sometime in 2023. 4 stars.

*I received a digital copy for review from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was very good and I loved it! This book was beautifully written and I was hooked the entire time! The plot was thought out and filled with secrets and turns.

This is a perfect read for anyone who loves books that follow a whole family over time. It weaves together several different storylines taking place over different timelines in such a powerful way, I was surprised to learn that this is a debut! It is definitely a character driven novel, so it may not be for some, but I recommend it to anyone who loves a sweeping family tale that has just the right amount of family secrets to keep you on the edge of your seat.