Black Cake: A Read with Jenna Pick: A Novel

Charmaine Wilkerson

Feb 2022 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

NOW A HULU STREAMING SERIES • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • Two estranged siblings delve into their mother’s hidden past—and how it all connects to her traditional Caribbean black cake—in this immersive family saga, “a character-driven, multigenerational story that’s meant to be savored” (Time).
 
“Wilkerson transports you across the decades and around the globe accompanied by complex, wonderfully drawn characters.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Malibu Rising

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, NPR, BuzzFeed, Glamour, PopSugar, Book Riot, She Reads

We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a 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 tale 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 lineage 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.

Ratings and reviews

I am not sure how to review this book. It sounded like a good book, I really tried to get into it, but about half way through or so it really started becoming impossible to follow. So many characters and so many different places. It appeared the story became fragmented and it no longer kept me engaged. The story is of siblings that were once close but not for a while. Upon the death of their mother they come back to deal with her death. When they listen to a recording their mother left it is full of old secrets she had never revealed to them of her life. Throughout the book this rum cake or black cake keeps appearing. The cake sounds a bit like a fruitcake and so did the book after a while. Bits and piece of this and that. I hope that other's enjoy it more than I did, this was not the book for me. Thanks to Charmaine Wilkerson, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book.

Black Cake is the debut novel from Charmaine Wilkerson and it was one I found myself drawn to given the different way in which it was written and it's very different from what I typically read. Siblings Benny and Byron are brought together by the passing of their mother and her one last wish is for them to listen to a recording and to eat the Black Cake she has left for them at the right time. Benny and Byron were close as children, but a rift has left them separated by both miles and emotions for years. Throughout the book, we're taken on a journey of how the siblings mother, Eleanor, made her way from the Caribbean to the United States and how her life unfolded throughout. There are secrets the siblings never knew and there are lessons to be learned as they take this final journey set out by their mother. While there was a lot going on in this book, I found the way the story was told to be very interesting and different from the books I normally find myself reading. For me, I liked that departure and I think it added to the richness (no pun intended!) of the story. Well done by Ms. Wilkerson.

Truly a great read. The dystopia of living poor with the combination of social persecution, is prevalent throughout this storyline. Loved this book, poignant and uplifting make this a “do not miss” read. Definite addition to your TBR List.

About the author

Charmaine Wilkerson is an American writer who has lived in Jamaica and is based in Italy. A graduate of Barnard College and Stanford University, she is a former journalist whose award-winning short fiction has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Black Cake is her first novel.