When Eleanor Bennett realized that death was approaching, she recorded a message for her children Byron and Benny to be played after she was gone. B and B, as she called them, had been estranged for eight years and when they met with Eleanor’s lawyer the animosity was evident. Eleanor’s first request is that they share the black cake that she left for them. They will know when the time is right to share the cake after listening to her recording. Her story involves a young girl named Covey who grew up in the Caribbean. Her mother had run away when she was young and her father was a drinker and a gambler. She discovered a love of swimming and with her best friend Bunny they would challenge each other in the waters surrounding their island. To settle his gambling debts, Covey’s father arranged a marriage with a local gangster. Her husband was poisoned on their wedding day and Covey slipped away to the water, where it was assumed she drowned. Covey’s story becomes important when Byron and Benny realize that Covey was Eleanor Bennett.

Eleanor’s recording reveals the hardships she faced as she travelled to England, hoping to find Gibbs, the young man she had fallen in love with on the island. She was assaulted, became pregnant and was forced to give up her daughter. After marrying, she and her husband settled in California where she once again connected with the water, a connection that she shared with Byron. She still mourned the loss of her daughter and always hoped that she would somehow find her.

Byron and Benny were once very close but each now faces problems in their lives. Benny feels that the family abandoned her when she needed their support. Byron has been passed over for promotion and has faced prejudice and discrimination as a young Black man. Now they must deal with their parents’ secret lives and the revelation of a sister. The traditional black cake was part of Covey’s youth and as Eleanor she also made it a tradition for her family. They will also find that it has a tie to their sister when they are re-united.

Charmaine Wilkerson’s Black Cake is a story of survival and a mother’s devotion. She shares the beauty of the ocean and the tastes of the Caribbean. As Bunny became a champion swimmer and found Covey once again, she also used Bunny’s accomplishments to call attention to the pollution of the seas. Wilkerson’s book is one that touches the reader on many levels and is a story that should not be missed. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for providing this book for my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review, all opinions are my own.

Wow, what an excellent debut! I appreciated the short chapters, it made the story flow quickly, and I really cared about the characters. I loved it!

Black Cake was so good that I also had to buy the audio version as well so that I could re-listen to this mesmerizing story again. This amazing story deals with family secrets that are not what they seem. Sometimes its hard to heal from generational trauma until you learn about your family history. Then, and only then, are you able to understand and hopefully heal. This is one of my top books of the year and can't wait to re-read as I eat a slice of black cake.

There wasn’t a character that didn’t draw me in with their complexities. I fell in love a little with Coveys spirit, with Byron’s passion, with Bennys light, with Etta’s fire, with Lins pride.

This book takes you back and forth from the past to the present, through the lens of multiple characters. You are drawn in to the secrets that created a family, and the truth that threatened to break them apart. I cried, and I laughed- sometimes on the same page. The writing is crisp and moving. I could not put this one down.

Of my fiction reads for the year, this is right at the top!

I really enjoyed the book Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. This is the story of a brother and sister who come together at their mother's funeral to hear a message she has left them. The recording takes you on a journey through generations, relationships, friendships, love and heartbreak. I loved the mystery of their mother's past life. The book was engaging and not confusing at all. The characters were really well-developed and you really get to know them and love them. I would definitely recommend this book to my book club members!

This one took me a while to finish. You need to pay close attention as the story has multiple timelines, multiple points of view, and loads of family history/secrets/decisions that can't be taken back. Lots of locations, a Caribbean island, England, US really makes it interesting. I like the many references to cooking/recipes, all of which can bring memories back. Worth the read.

Black Cake is the story of Covey and all her struggles growing up, being abandoned by her mother and then being raised by a father who loved to gamble.

At first I was super invested in the story. The back and forth between the now and then for the first half of the book was superb. But then, the author dove into Benny and her brother and their issues and the story went downhill from there.

Benny was selfish and immature that nothing justified her attitude towards her family. Then Byron (her brother), was such a cry baby—in my opinion—he couldn’t see past to the bright future he had and was so hung up on the “societal” issues.

I wish the author would’ve just kept to Covey’s story without diving too much into her kids’ lives, because even though they made it seem like things weren’t fair to them because of who they were, they were actually pretty privileged—more so than any other minority.

I’m a minority—no I’m not black, but I’m originally from a 3rd world country. While I can relate to some of the injustices/prejudices, I think the author threw a salad of societal issues and blew them out so much that she ruined Covey’s story. Being a minority, I get to choose how I allow certain things to upset me. It is up to me to decide how I’m going to get my way regardless without being a cry baby about it.

This book has glowing reviews—so don’t let my opinion stop you.

Black Cake was an interesting story mostly told from a deceased mother's recording to her children. The beginning of this story starts out strong with a secret that children are enticed to find out. When the secret is revealed they can share a black cake the mother has made before her passing. The mother's retelling of her past with the intersecting characters/places from her life is fascinating. What did not work for me and made the story too long was the past and present story of the children and all of the societal issues impacting them. The background of the children could have been condensed considerably and issues that had nothing to do with the mother left out.

5 stars! Byron and Benny are brought together by their mother after her death as she has a story to tell them about her life and the people she knew growing up. And what a story it is! I loved learning about Eleanor Bennett and I loved knowing her children. Amazing characters and I absolutely loved the cultural storyline. I thought the history of the book was well developed and really helped to draw me in to what everyone was feeling in the past and present. Thank you to #netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This is my first book by this author which I enjoyed from beginning to end. This is a suspenseful story that kept me engaged and coming back for more. I cant wait to see what is next for this author. This is a well written story about two women who lose their mother and is now faced with secrets and the past. This is an emotional story in parts but also has twists and turns that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. This is a fast paced story that I had a hard time putting down. It is full of action and emotion. I enjoyed being pulled into the story by the characters and how connectable they are. I enjoyed their growth throughout as well as the growth of the plot. A great story that is worth the pick, I highly recommend this book.

I genuinely don't know what to say about this book. The book follows the story of Eleanor Bennett and her past will be eventually revealed through the voice recording after her death. Eleanor's children will soon learn the shocking truth about their mother and also their own identity.

It gradually came to a point where I no longer cared about what happened and what will happen to all the characters. I did not like nor hate them but I found this book was uninteresting to me. During the last 2/3 of this book, all I did was trying to get through this book. I felt like the author was trying to jam all the topics and messages into the story but did not express them successfully. Instead of saying right away the main theme of the book, I'd love to see it came as an underlying layer more. I did not feel sympathetic, I did not feel emotional, I did not feel connected to any of the characters and the way all the stories were intertwined felt very loose and unconvincing.

I liked the last few pages of this book, however, that was not enough for me to like the entire book.

Black Cake is, on the surface, the story of a brother and a sister reconciling their mother’s legacy with their own memories and experiences. Who was their mother really? And what does her hidden history mean for them now that she is gone? The titular black cake is the impetus for the action of the story: a black cake set their mother’s life off in a new direction half a century earlier and a black cake is now the final point toward which the siblings are headed. But it must be said that this book is about much more than a brother and sister. It is about a whole family, every extended part of it.

This book grabbed me from the very beginning. The story is told through varied viewpoints and I loved how chapters built upon one another, introducing characters and points of view that dovetailed beautifully. From the Caribbean to the United Kingdom to the United States, this book deftly moves across time and space, weaving a tapestry of memories and wrestling with issues of identity, family, and heritage.

Except it’s not a tapestry, woven together from all the different threads of the different characters’ lives. While you could compare it to a tapestry, a quilt, or a mosaic, what it truly is is a cake. Different stories mixed together, becoming one whole. Lives subjected to the heat of pain and loss. Heat like in an oven, transforming the intermixed lives through chemistry and crucible into something sweet and beautiful.

Many thanks to @netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Siblings Byron and Benny are estranged, but after their mother's death, they discover she’s left them a black cake, a beloved food from their childhood and history, and a voice recording that reveals many surprises about her past. Their mother Eleanor's story is heartbreaking and shocking, but will it bring Byron and Benny together to share the cake "when the time is right," as their mother desired?

This is a really interesting and different book. It’s a sweeping tale that spans from the 1960s to the present and touches on racism, homophobia, immigration, assault, the meaning of family, and so much more. If that sounds like a lot, it is, and sometimes it feels like too much. The story meanders at times--it's a lot to go from the 1960s to the near present, and the story is told through many narrators and short chapters. It's sometimes confusing to keep track of. At times, the musings and whining of present-day Byron and Benny are frustrating because you just want to get back to Eleanor and the past.

And that is where BLACK CAKE shines. Because while this is a debut novel and it shows at times, the story really is engrossing, especially when Eleanor gets into her origin story and we learn about the Caribbean and how she became who she is. There's almost a mystery in there, and it's fascinating. We are taken back to the islands, meeting a young determined swimmer and her best friend. I love how Wilkerson weaves everything together into a touching and poignant tale that delves deep into this family's past. I was mesmerized and needed to know everything that happened. There are a lot of characters and a few false starts, but this story winds around to make sense, and it was a really beautiful and fascinating. 4 stars.

Black Cake is definitely worthy of the buzz it is receiving. First time author Charmaine Wilkerson has created a masterpiece. This novel revolves around adult siblings Benny and Byron. Their mother has died and left them a recorded message that will change their lives. Their are many interesting characters and fascinating stories that come together seamlessly. This is a family saga that's full of heart and mystery. Wilkerson has written what will be one of the best books of this year.

I absolutely adore this book! I especially enjoyed the challenges that this family faced due to their color. Thought provoking. It is a beautifully written story about two estranged siblings who come together after years apart after their mother’s death. Thank to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I am happy to report that the story inside is just as beautiful. Black Cake follows two estranged siblings Byron and Benny who are reunited upon their mother's death when she leaves them a recording full of all the secrets she left behind. ⁠The book flips through multiple timelines and multiple POVs as all the threads of the story come together. You may feel a bit confused at the beginning but trust the process and keep going.

The writing is incredible, especially with the fact that this is Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel. This book has everything from ⁠family drama to secrets to betrayal and so much more.
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Go read this. It gets all the stars. Also it has short chapters which you know I adore and will help you fly through this novel.

Really enjoyed! I thought it was extremely well thought out family drama that traced the course of one woman’s life and the many paths she took and how that effected everyone in her life. I thought it was very touching. I loved the characters of Benny and Etta and Elly. I thought all the male characters were jerks 😝

Some secrets you hide from your children as you think it is better that way. Eleanor Bennett passes away and leaves her children a black cake in the freezer with a note saying they will know when it is time to share it. Then a video message to them explaining that they have a sister.

Charles will help the children learn all that their mother and father went through to build a life together. They will learn all the secrets of the past and discover a family they never knew they had.

A very heartfelt story of love, loss, friendship, and family.

I'm an incredibly picky reader. Most descriptions of books don't really suck me in so I end up trying and stopping a lot of fiction books. Black Cake wasn't one of those books. This story had many twists and turns and kept me engaged for several days. Some days, I had to force myself to stop reading so I could get sleep. I enjoyed the narrative pace that jumped back and forth through time to tell one complete story. Black Cake is easily one of my favorite books that I've read in a very long time.

When Elenor Bennett passes away her two kids are left a recording that will change their lives forever. She wasn’t at all who they thought she was and they are left to put together pieces of the secrets she left behind.
The will also be left to examine their own lives and what they mean to one another.

This is a great story about family and that sometimes there are real struggles with those we love the most. Sometimes those closest to us don’t understand us and the walls we build are hard to overcome. In this family drama story the theme centralizes around black cake…a recipe passed down from a heritage these siblings didn’t even know they had. Through open eyes, open hearts and a slice of black cake maybe they can overcome these high walls that have been built around them.