Author: Charmaine Wilkerson

Summary:

In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother's death and her hidden past--a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake.

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett's death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean 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 journey 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 family, 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.


Personal Review:

For anyone who has experience or likes to read about situations with a complicated family, this may be a book that resonates for you. The book covers the emotional situation of grief and the follow up that happens. It was interesting to see the story from such different views and the information that lead to each decision along the way. I found this to be a captivating take on how individuals process through the events of their lives and the stories that happen as a result. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

Disclaimer: I was awarded this book from the publisher/Net Galley. Though I did not pay for the book, the opinions are strictly my own.


Happy Reading!

This was an…interesting book.

There were parts that moved slowly, then there were other parts where I was so caught up I put off doing other things so I could read. At times, the theme of the cake stretching throughout felt like a bit much, but then other times it made perfect sense. I usually feel one way or another about books, but this one has me square in the middle.

I had an advanced copy of this book. I could not stop reading this book. It is brilliant. The details and descriptions had me there with the characters. I felt like I knew them, I cried with them. What a strong cast of female characters in this book. I lived in an island for some time and this book made me homesick, made me feel for characters who could not go back.

This book is about secrets. We all carry things from our past that we don’t openly share with our present and sometimes we also keep little pieces of our past hidden from our people, vulnerability is the hardest thing in the world.

I can only wait for what comes next from this author. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

A brother and sister lose their mother. In settling her affairs, they must listen to a tape together. Everything that they thought they knew about their mother changes.

This story examines the sacrifice that someone is willing to make for a better life. Can the truth of their mother's early life reunite the estranged siblings? How will the news of another sibling affect them?

Black Cake takes a realistic look at family dynamics. The author has a deft manner of detailing the emotions of love, loss, and acceptance. This book is outstanding!

Black Cake is a multi-generational story of family and friends; how they love and hurt and heal and grow. It is a book like no other - at least no other book that I have read. I was immediately drawn in to the story through the beautifully written characters and settings. I swam with Covey and Bunny in the warm Caribbean waters. I could smell and taste the delicacies created in the kitchens. I felt the hurt and betrayal when prejudice reared its ugly head. My heart swelled with pride at accomplishments and triumphs, and nearly broke as one tragedy after another struck, yet rose once again as relationships were restored.

This is not a book that can be easily summarized without cutting some of the beautiful chords that tie the various parts of this story together. Suffice it to say, each word of this book will fill the reader with every possible emotion and leave them spent yet satisfied in the end.

I find that sometimes family drama novels get boring or fail to pull me in. Black Cake kept me interested in the characters and how their lives intertwine. I liked the little twists here and there that kept me on my toes as well.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of an estranged brother and sister brought together following their mother’s death. Benny, the sister, left the family many years prior because of what she perceived was her parents' disappointment in her life choices. While she traveled the world in search of her place in life, Byron achieved success and fulfilled the dreams of his parents, both of whom were immigrants from an island in the Caribbean. The book travels back and forth in time as the siblings learn a detailed account of their parents’ lives through a recording their mother left for them. They receive one surprise after another in hearing their mom’s history. Through grit, determination, and the help of friends along the way, she overcame tremendous obstacles in leaving her old life behind.

This was an engrossing journey that combined elements of cultural identity, self-discovery, and the strength of the human spirit. There was even a bit of a murder mystery which was resolved much to my satisfaction. I enjoyed the opportunity provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House to read and review this ARC.

Families and secrets. How many novels are centered on this age-old dynamic? Charmaine Wilkerson’s fabulous debut gives Byron and Benny all they can handle and more in “Black Cake”.

The family trees in “Black Cake” have lots of roots. Most are hidden deep underground until Byron and Benny get to hear their mom’s last communication. Everyone thinks that they know all about themselves and others. By the time we’re through, everyone understands that all assumptions were way off. It’s time to change perceptions, narratives, and life goals before it’s too late.

Wilkerson stuffs in a whole lot more as well – systemic racism and xenophobia, misogyny and domestic violence, addiction, abandonment and systemic abduction. There’s science, art, competitive athletics, and theology. The paths almost always converge in a plausible way. Ms. Wilkerson writes in a clear, straight-forward manner, making the sudden turns even more dramatic. A writer to watch carefully.

Last tip – make sure that you have tissues near-by.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the eARC.

In Black Cake two siblings must set aside their differences to deal with a hidden past that they learn about upon the death of their mother. Benny has been estranged from her mother after an incident involving her now deceased father. Byron did not contact his sister until after their mother died. When they meet with the attorney, they are informed that their Mother left a series of videos that contain stories of betrayals. secrets, and other information regarding their parent's history. Their parents have kept a number of secrets including their real names from their children. The siblings rekindle their relationship as they learn of the past of their parents. This is a great book that I highly recommend.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

An amazingly beautiful and heart wrenching tale. Family secrets can cause damage but also just maybe repair hearts. When a parent dies, grief can be immeasurable. What if the parent sends you on a quest?

You won't regret reading this take. Bravo Ms. Wilkerson. We expect great things from you.

Are you ready for a great journey? Are you ready to feel the pull of tides and unlatch doors to a well-guarded history?

This novel will have you listening to the murmurs of the past and making discoveries with the wonder and fervor of an archaeologist.

Charmaine Wilkerson hands you a complex mystery and a layered treasure map; one that connects land and sea, friends, families, and generations. The unearthing of stories and traditions, secrets and memories, of things that bind us. It's a lot to unpack as you travel the globe and through time, learning about visceral connections of love.

A heart is capable of holding an ocean, waves of affection that can resonate and be inherited like a cherished recipe for Black Cake.

I'd like to thank the author, NetGalley, and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Black Cake for an honest review.

This book was provided to me compliments of #NetGalley for my honest opinion.


Estranged sister face their mother’s death together, reluctantly.

Secrets are unearthed, history discovered.

Every so often a beautifully crafted book emerges replete with a vivid narrative and characters fraught with emotional turmoil. "Black Cake," the debut novel by Charmaine Wilkerson is one such novel. It is a stunning exploration of a family pulled apart at the seams after the death of their mother.

Eleanor Bennett's death is the impetus for the reunion of her two estranged children, Byron and Benny. They have been summoned to her house in California to listen to a taped recording of Eleanor expounding on a past life filled with secrets and lies that challenge everything they thought they knew about their parents. Eleanor's final request is that the Byron and Benny will share the "Black Cake" when the time is right.

Byron and Benny must put aside their past differences to listen to their mother's story. They will learn about a woman who tried to rise above her life in the Caribbean. They will hear her talk about the power of friendships forged in childhood and true love that guided the decisions that were made to survive. And how "...when you lived a life, under any name, that life became entwined with others."

This book is prodigious in its revelations. It is an unforgettable story that will linger long after the last page is turned. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! This was a departure from the psychological thrillers I usually read; it's a family drama that starts with the death of matriarch Eleanor, who leaves an audio recording for her 2 grown kids, Benny and Byron to listen to. The book goes back and forth between multiple timelines and introduces the reader to (mostly) likeable and relatable characters who overcome major hardships. The author expertly weaves together varying storylines into a cohesive tapestry. A good part of the book is also spent exploring Benny and Byron's relationship from childhood up to the current time.

The book touches on hardships related to race in many different ways, heartbreakingly so at times. I felt like I could truly empathize with these characters and what they are going through. There were tears multiple times :)

I read this book in a day because I was so immersed in the story and the lives of these characters. I loved the way it ended as well- loose ends were tied up and it felt realistic. Would definitely recommend this book, even if you don't normally read this genre. I was shocked to see that this is the first novel this author has written- I hope she writes more! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this multi-generational family story. Black Cake centers on a letter from Eleanor Bennett, a Carribean immigrant to her children after her death revealing a lifetime of secrets.

I loved Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. There are so many layers to this story, no pun meant. Byron and Benny are elder brother and sister who have been estranged for years. Benny feeling unaccepted had broken all communication with her family but their mothers desk brings them to the homestead. They are wary of each other and non communicative upon seeing each other but they have no idea of what they are in store for.

Eleanor their mother has left them a recording and it is FULL of unbelievable revelations. They are left wondering who their mother truly was. The storytelling drew me in and held me. I was fascinated by Eleanor’s revelations and how her adult children reacted to it and other secrets and lies. I have never read anything like Black Cake and that’s a great thing. The Black Cake of the title is central to this story. It’s a special Caribbean fruit cake with its own story.

Through the hearing their mother speak, Byron and Benny see themselves and each other more clearly. I loved this book! There are also a nice backdrop of colorful characters including Eleanor’s father, Pearl the woman who taught her to make black cake and her best friend Benny in addition to stories of the islands and Britain of the mid 1960s. Great storytelling, historical elements and familial understanding and misunderstandings.

What a fascinating story! I was hooked from the beginning. WIlkerson brings her characters to life in colorful detail. At its heart this is a book about love and family, and the author skillfully weaves her story between present day and the past. Fans of multigenerational novels will love it.

This is an extraordinary story of faith, hope, love, endurance and the renewal of life through changes like the waves in the sea.

It's impossible to read this book without learning something new such as a scrumptious black cake which is created with dried fruits in rum and port. The cake had a lot of meaning for the main character, Covey, like "sisterhood and a kitchen full of laughter."

But it wasn't all fun. We learn quickly that Covey died. The moment of truth was revealed not during but at the end of her life. Covey's son, Bryon, and daughter, Bennie, had no idea about the details of their mother's life until she was gone. That's when their ma's attorney, Charles Mitch, stepped in to reveal her last words on tape filled with shocking news. She also left them with part of a black cake to enjoy when the time was right.

Byron and Bennie were mystified with their mom's challenging hardships. They learned she was raised by a father that gambled and she was part of the deal that went down. It was agreed that an undesirable man would take his young daughter to be his bride while everyone knew she was in love with someone else in the Caribbean Islands. That was just the beginning of a string of incidents. The news of her life to her kids brought a pile of emotions to the table.

This is a fast-paced book with great character visualization. The story is unique and filled with historical references and points about the sea which makes it meaningful. However, it's the family story that flowed smoothly and captured my attention with some complex issues such as racial prejudice, forced abortions and environmental concerns. It was said, "Everything is connected to everything else, if you only go far enough back in time." Yes, I enjoyed every word.

My thanks to Charmaine Wilkerson, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of February 1, 2022.

Black Cake is a story about Jamaican culture, the complicated life of three young people and their families.
It is about love, loss, family and the traditions of family we all hold dear to our heart. It is the complicated story of immigration and growing up and older.
Black Cake is complicated and wonderfully written.
#BlackCake #NetGalley

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is a wonderful and stunning debut fiction I truly enjoyed and will stay with me for years to come.

This book is great in that it is a truly unique and engrossing multigenerational novel that weaves a tale of history, family, love, loss, identity, and in the end leaves the reader with a sense of hope and promise for the days to come.

Through the interweaving stories of present day, and the past, the reader gets to take a glimpse into this complicated, complex, passionate, and intricate family that have experienced everything imaginable. We get to travel along on a journey that is unlike no other.

I love how the author was able to weave all of these aspects, timelines, and snippets into a vibrant, soulful, and colorful story. Reading the history of this family, Eleanor’s life and past, and how it all wraps together to place these siblings where they are now and who they have become is excellent. Reading some of the history placed into the story that took place during these decades within the UK, US, and the Caribbean was at times hard to read, but fascinating nevertheless.

The elements of mystery and words unspoken also add another layer of complexity. I enjoyed the pace, progression, and also the ending.

I look forward to more from this author.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Ballantine/Random House Publishing Group for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.