Black Cake

by Charmaine Wilkerson
Black Cake cover
Good Books rating 4.17
Contemporary Fiction
Technical
  • ID: 4005
  • Added: 2025-10-20
  • Updated: 2025-10-20
  • ISBN: 9780241529928
  • Publisher: Michael Joseph
  • Published: 2022-02-03
  • Reviews: 3

Eleanor Bennett leaves behind more than just memories when she passes away. Her children, Byron and Benny, are brought together by her funeral in California, where they discover a voice recording that challenges everything they thought they knew about their family. Eleanor's story reveals a headstrong woman who fled her island home under suspicion of murder, a tale that cuts to the heart of the rift between her children. Alongside the recording, Eleanor leaves a traditional Caribbean black cake, hoping its rich history will heal old wounds. As Byron and Benny grapple with their mother's revelations, they must decide whether her final request to share the black cake will bring them closer or leave them more lost than ever. /n/nThe novel explores themes of family secrets, cultural heritage, and the power of food to connect generations. Eleanor's narrative is a journey through time and place, from the Caribbean to California, and her story is as much about the past as it is about the present. The black cake, with its deep roots in Caribbean tradition, becomes a symbol of both the love and the pain that binds the family together.

Reviews
Fun Fandom Blog · 2024-01-18
engaging 4.50

The book is both an easy and difficult read due to its lyrical and propulsive writing. It's a compelling exploration of family dynamics and cultural heritage.

This reviewer found Black Cake to be a captivating read that balances ease and depth. The writing style is both lyrical and propulsive, making it engaging while tackling complex themes. They appreciate how the story weaves together family dynamics and cultural heritage, creating a rich tapestry that resonates with readers. The reviewer also notes that the book's exploration of identity and the choices that shape our lives is both profound and thought-provoking.

Quick quotes

    Black Cake is both an easy read and a difficult one.

    It's easy to listen to it, because the writing is the right combination of lyrical and propulsive.

    The story weaves together family dynamics and cultural heritage, creating a rich tapestry that resonates with readers.

Harvard Review · 2022-08-23
ambitious 3.50

The novel is ambitious and enjoyable, but it misses some opportunities for deeper complexity. The writing is praised for its well-defined characters and realistic family dynamics.

The Harvard Review finds Black Cake to be an ambitious novel that strives for epic complexity. While they enjoy the story, they feel it misses some opportunities to delve deeper into certain themes. The reviewer appreciates the well-defined characters and realistic family dynamics, which make the story resonate. They also note that the novel's exploration of identity and heritage is compelling, even if it doesn't fully achieve the epic scope it aims for.

Quick quotes

    Overall, Black Cake is an ambitious novel that is enjoyable in its striving toward epic complexity.

    Still, Wilkerson misses the ripe opportunity ...

    The writing is wonderful, with well-defined characters and realistic family dynamics.

Books on the 747 · 2022-04-03
eloquent 4.50

The book eloquently and emotionally conveys its ideas, layering characters' stories and themes effectively. The writing is praised for its emotional depth and eloquence.

Books on the 747 highlights how Black Cake eloquently and emotionally conveys its ideas. The reviewer appreciates the way the story layers the characters' stories and themes, creating a rich and engaging narrative. They find the writing to be deeply emotional and eloquent, making the book a powerful exploration of family, identity, and heritage. The reviewer also notes that the book's themes are conveyed with a level of emotional depth that resonates with readers.

Quick quotes

    Black Cake took all its ideas and so eloquently and emotionally conveyed them.

    As well as layering all the characters' stories and the themes, ...

    The writing is deeply emotional and eloquent.

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