Its rich plot-which includes a suspected murder-unfolds at an enthralling pace. Wilkerson’s exquisitely written novel is a globe-trotting, multigenerational family saga set in the Caribbean, California, London, Scotland and Rome. “It just sort of walked into the story.”Īnd what a remarkable story it is. “I never intended to write a story with a cake in it,” says Charmaine Wilkerson, former broadcast journalist and, with Black Cake, first-time novelist. But she won't be getting any sympathy from Byron, no. The study says it can be a lonely road for people like her. There's even been a study in the news recently about people like Benny. It seems to Byron that whatever kind of problem you have in this world, you can find someone to show you understanding. Never mind all that talk about societal rejection and discrimination and whatnot. What does Benny expect? She took a family argument and turned it into a cold war.
And what right does she have to say anything? Byron hasn't seen Benny in eight years. Benny stands there, her mouth open, but says nothing. But when Benny leans in to hug him, Byron pushes her away, then turns to knock on the door to the attorney's office. His first instinct is to rush toward his sister and embrace her. 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.īyron hears the elevator doors peel open.
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.Ĭan 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?Ĭharmaine Wilkerson's debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. 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.
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