Black Cake

 Tell me a story...about a mother’s secret past

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Publication date: February 1, 2022

Date read: September 30, 2022

Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares the story of her childhood in the Caribbean, her escape from the island, and a mystery of a long-lost daughter. As their mother’s story unfolds, Byron and Benny try to make sense of what they thought they knew about their family, as well as attempt to repair their once-close relationship. 

I first want to say that I misunderstood the NetGalley/Goodreads plot summary for this book, and I assumed it was going to be Byron and Benny traveling, trying to figure out something from their mother’s past. But it was actually a split timeline story, with Byron and Benny listening, in the present day, as their mother told her story. Not bad, just not what I was expecting.

Byron and Benny weren’t super likable characters, but I liked following their stories as they found things out about their family that they weren’t expecting. Eleanor’s story took a lot of unexpected turns, and while I wasn’t all that invested at first, I soon got sucked in. I really liked Eleanor as a young woman.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable historical fiction story about a woman who has to reinvent herself. It takes a lot of twists and turns that kept it interesting and fun to follow. I didn’t love the present day characters as much, but did like the way they kept the story grounded. This is a very well-written and interesting book that I think anyone who likes historical or contemporary fiction will enjoy. 

Rating: 4/5 stars 

Content warning: death of a family member/loved one, rape, character forced to give up a child, police profiling, racial discrimination 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.