I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing (Ballantine Books) for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is a beautifully written story about family history, bonds that can so easily break, and of course- black cake. This story really begins at the end, with the death of a mother. Benny and Byron are summoned by their mother's lawyer to view a recording she left for them to view together and only together. This may sound like an easy ask, but not for these two siblings. Benny walked out of Thanksgiving years prior due to a misunderstanding with her parents that has left her estranged for the past 8 years. She didn't even attend her father's funeral

Written in dual timelines as well as from multiple points of view, we are immersed in the emotional journey of how Byron and Benny became to be. It turns out, they really knew nothing about their parent's lives before them and their rich history growing up in the Caribbean Islands.

Wilkerson has really written a work of art here. This was one of the most unique stories I've read. She uses such amazing imagery when speaking about the culture of the islands and she ties the tradition of black cake into the entire story. It's truly beautiful. If you're looking for a read about the bonds and stories that tie us together as family- look no further. Looking forward to adding this to my library when it publishes.

Such a captivating, awesome debut novel! I was so engrossed in this story I literally had to pry myself away from it to take care of other things I had to do when all I wanted was to read more. The story is set in several places: the Caribbean, Great Britain, and America.

The story begins at the end. Eleanor Bennett died in California and her attorney asked Eleanor's two children, Byron and Benny to come to his office. Eleanor had left an audio recording for her children to listen to in the presence of the attorney. Byron had stayed close to his mother, but due to an earlier rift in the family, Benny had been estranged from her family for eight years and had not even shown up for her father's funeral! But she did show up this time to listen to the recording.

The book moves back and forth between present and past as Eleanor tells the story of her life, things her children never even suspected. So many secrets revealed - some shocking and heartbreaking. Yet Eleanor kept a positive attitude and she and her husband brought the children up well - wanting only the best for them and providing them with strong values and an excellent education. The black cake is something from Eleanor's childhood that her mother made and Eleanor had carried the recipe with her throughout her life and shared making this special cake first with her mother, then with another woman who took care of her as a child, then later with her daughter. It was very special and was almost revered.

The characters are well formed and flawed. I would describe the story as deeply introspective. Charmaine Wilkerson has a gift for writing and storytelling.

I loved this book! Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on February 1, 2022.

As I try to remember my feelings about Black Cake a week after finishing it, I'm trying to learn more about the titular dessert. It's a Caribbean evolution of plum (or figgy?!?) pudding, brought to the island by its colonizers and soaked in rum all year, with the fruits merged together, less distinct and less heavy than the UK versions.

As one character describes it, "...some foods are born, bred, and developed within a particular geographic area or food culture. Others are imported, and yes, they find their places in new cultures over time, but they wouldn't be there in the first place without long-distance travel, without commercial exchanges and, in many cases, a history of exploitation. ... some foods that are taken for granted in many products and recipes in Europe, for example, are produced in other countries, where in past centuries, their trade depended on forced labor or very low-cost labor. Cane sugar, for example."

The cake is a through-line in this multigenerational story of family members lost and found. There's even a secret baked into a black cake, left by motherless mother Eleanor for her estranged adult children, Byron and Benny.

Byron is a Neil deGrasse Tyson, except with the ocean instead of the stars. Benny. who has a secret of her own, is adrift. I can't think of what else to say that won't be a spoiler, but I will add that in addition to "forced/low-cost labor," one might consider the role of rape in assimilation and foodways.

Many of my reads are lighter and quicker than this one was, but reflecting on the deeper messages of the novel as I write this review, I'm feeling more strongly about my recommendation. 4.5/5!

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is a huge, gut-wrenching, uplifting tidal wave of a novel. The author takes you far and deep, excavating the souls of her characters with a skillful hand. Sometimes I had to pause just to take a breath and let both her beautiful words and powerful prose sink in. But just for a moment, because I had to keep reading! Highly recommend!!

I adored this book. Lots of plot lines that tie together, and such rich characters... loved getting to know them all. Going to be a big hit!

Benny has been estranged from her family, but returns home upon the death of her mother, Eleanor. Eleanor has left her children a Caribbean black cake and a video that explains her past and reveals secrets that Benny and her brother Byron could never have imagined.

An intricate, intense debut novel of a family journey told in dual timelines.
The now adult children, Benny and Byron, who are estranged, must return to the family home after the death of their mom.
She leaves an explicit video taped message of long ago secrets and requests that she needs to reveal with her children.
She also leaves a Black Cake in the refrigerator for all of her children to one day share together!
This family has no idea who their mother really was and all she lived through!
So many challenges, turmoil, hardships, love and fear!

This story is so well woven and flows easily from the past and back to the present as told by the videotape.
Well done!

I am looking forward to the next book by Charmaine Wilkerson!

Thank you to #Random house (Ballentine Books) for the chance to read this and provide an honest review.

I didn't know exactly what to expect going into Black Cake, but I was immediately drawn into the novel; I couldn't put it down. The story itself has an almost fever-dream, folklore like quality to it - the type of tale that is almost unbelievable, but that you are willing to suspend disbelief for because it is so captivating. Charmaine Wilkerson is a master of characters, and I felt invested in everyone from main characters Benny and Byron to the supporting cast of Pearl and Bunny. Black Cake is an impressive and beautifully written debut, and I am excited to see what Wilkerson does next.

Ultimately an intense book full of emotion and history and the pull/influence of family; very relevant today's cultural struggles. Very well written - I pretty much couldn't put it down!

There was so much packed into this book. I don't feel that it was too much, I was just amazed at how much was there. This book dealt with so much. It was beautifully done. I can't wait to read more by this author.

I loved the way the story was told. I loved the way the story was unfolded. You really got to know the characters as the story went on. Also, it showed that as much as things change, so much stays the same. In some ways it is good and in others it is still awful.

The characters had depth. I really felt like you got to know each character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a good story about family and loyalty. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and some interesting twists.

Thank you for the opportunity to read a Black Cake. Multiple stories, different timelines, all wrapped into one powerful, moving, beautifully written book.

There wasn’t a single character I didn’t like or relate to, which I find rare but very much enjoyed. While I would love to say I’m a Benny—a glimmering, loving, bit of light in the world—I think I’m probably more of a Byron. Seeing their relationship through their own eyes and that of their parents and Mr. Mitch gave such incredible nuance and added wonderful complexity. I let out a big sob when Benny and Byron cried over the fish dish and I shared in their feelings over their different life experiences.

The story was just mysterious enough and with enough twists to keep me hooked and guessing at plot points, but not so much that it was frustrating or off-putting. The Mr. Mitch storyline was especially surprising, but worked really well as a tool to drive home how magnetic and special Eleanor was. I thought that was a brilliant addition.

The foundation of the story is a black cake and family recipes are something a lot of people can connect with. I know I certainly did. The black cake led into my favorite line and basically a microcosm of the entire story: “What Benny learned from her mother was to rely on her own instincts and go on from there.”

All in all, this is a 5/5 for me. It was moving and powerful. The way big topics and family relationships were handled was perfect. I think this book will resonate with a lot of people of all different backgrounds. Great for fans of Jodi Picoult and/or Where the Crawdad Sings.

I am a huge fan of family dramas and this was a great one. this was about 2 brothers and the ties that bind them. Its an emotional read and I loved every minute of it.

I"m not going to say much about the book, and least not until its published, but this is an emotional heart warming/wrenching book all at once.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

“Black Cake” is a debut novel by Charmaine Wilkerson. This book starts off announcing the death of Eleanor Bennett. Eleanor has left a recorded message she wants her adult children, Byron and Benny, to hear in her lawyer’s presence. As when any child listens to their parent tell the story of their lives, Byron and Benny learn a lot of new information - some sweet, some surprising, and some heartbreaking.

Reading this book reminded me not of a black cake, but instead of an onion - there’s a lot of layers in this book. There’s what’s on the surface - the public face, if one wishes - then there’s the deeper stories - not only private but also unshared until after Eleanor’s death. This book doesn’t have an even flow - sometimes the reader is in the past on an unnamed island, sometimes the reader is in the present in California, and sometimes again in the past in Europe or the East Coast of the US - but it works very effectively in telling the story. Luckily keeping track of what is happening when is pretty easy thanks to the chapter titles and font usage. While the author’s style of writing wasn’t always to my taste, I cannot fault the style in which she writes or how she chose to tell this complex story. I also liked the list of references the author used in the back of the book. I look forward to Ms. Wilkerson's next book as I'd read another book by her.

Wow. What a magnificent & beautiful story!

When Benny & Byron's mom, Eleanor, passes, they are forced to come together for the first time in years. Together with their mother's lawyer, they watch a video where Eleanor explains everything she never told her children.

Now Benny & Byron are left to not only grieve their mother's death, but to accept the truth of who their parents really were and the real story of their family.

I cannot believe this is Charmaine's first book. It is so beautifully written. The alternating POVs & timelines were cohesive & worked wonderfully to tie everything together at the end. I'm ready for another novel. Thank you SO MUCH to the publisher for the opportunity to read Black Cake early.

It was a wonderful family story that took you back many generations. There were a lot of twists and turns that you don’t see coming and you’re trying to figure it all out along the way.

"𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒖𝒏, 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕, 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅."

When Eleanor Bennett dies her estranged children, Byron and Benny come to the funeral to find a traditional Caribbean black cake that they are supposed to share when the time is right. The cake also comes with a voice recording and a story that Eleanor wants them to hear.

Charmaine Wilkerson's storytelling in her debut novel Black Cake is extraordinary, vivid, delightful and passionate. It's a story full of family secrets, betrayal, culture, family ties, love, ambition, tradition, history and acceptance. It's faced-paced and can be devoured within days. Black Cake is a story told in dual timelines with the past showing the reader family secrets that back decades and shapes the Bennett family. As Byron and Benny learn about where their family came from they are forced to confront it head on as they begin to learn more about who they are and where they came from. The characters are bold, refreshing, determined, brave, resilient, and independent. When you finish you'll be looking up the history of Caribbean black cake, how to make it or where to get it. If you loved The Vanishing Half or Transcendent Kingdom then you will love this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books/Random House for providing me with this ARC to review!

Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel does not disappoint! Black Cake is an alternating timeline story told from multiple perspectives. Two siblings, Byron and Benedetta, nicknamed “Benny”, have had a strained relationship for years. Nonetheless, they must come together to deal with the passing of their mother. As they learn of their mother’s hidden past, the siblings must also confront their own histories and decide if these revelations will bring them together or tear them further apart. Eleanor left them instructions to share one of her traditional Black Cakes together when the time was right—will the siblings honor their mother’s final wishes?

I thought this story was beautifully told. I really enjoyed the alternating timelines and multiple view points. We were able to learn Eleanor’s story from her own point of view, as well as from what she reveals to her children in the recording. We also gain insight into what has happened with Benny and Byron in the years they were estranged, and what led up to the events that caused the divide. This is a story you won’t want to miss!

Byron and Benny, brother and sister, sit with their mother’s lawyer days after her death, listening to tapes of their mother Elizabeth’s voice destroying all the facts they had been told of their parents’ lives. They learn about their mother’s abandoning a husband she did not love and fleeing her Caribbean home and their father’s being educated in England and finding the young woman he had believed dead. They learn of a sister they never knew existed. Both siblings are in shock, reluctant to believe what they hear. After the tapes are finished, they must sit together, all three children, and eat the Black Cake Elizabeth has baked. It is around this cake that Charmaine Wilkerson’s novel revolves. Steeped in Caribbean tradition and love of community, the cake hopefully will heal the rifts that have occurred among the children. I do not find Benny and Byron very likable, but Elizabeth aka Covey intrigues me. I want her requests to be fulfilled and her questions to be answered. It is her past that makes the story interesting.

An extraordinary story from a debut author. When Byron and Benny's mother dies, she leaves them a recording that tells her true story. All that she had to endure in her life and all the secrets she was forced to keep. It changes everything that Benny and Byron knew about her life and theirs. Benny, who hasn't spoken to anyone in her family in years after one Thanksgiving disagreement. Byron, who is just angry at the world for all the wrongs he feels it placed on him. Will this recording bring them together or force them further apart?
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House /Ballentine Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.