Book Review for "Black Cake"

A really good read!

Image from Amazon

This was a book club pick and to be completely honest I was unsure about Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson when I first started listening to the book, but that quickly changed as the book progressed and I started to fall in love.

This novel is probably one of the most beautifully written I have ever read and once I finished the first chapter I was hooked. Ready to find out what happens next and learn more about the complicated characters and their past.

Eleanor Bennet has died leaving her two estranged children who have two different views on the world and life. Before she died she recorded the history of her life before they were born. The children are surprised to learn her dark history with her growing up in the Caribbean. Byron and Benny are shocked to learn what it was like for their mother to grow up, her past secrets, and their ancestry. The siblings will also understand the importance of Black Cake not only in their family but within the Caribbean culture.

The book delicately webs Eleanor's past through the struggles of a young Caribbean woman, friendships, the strength to carry on, and love. The book does bounce around a little but it also follows along as the story jumps from the past to the present with multiple perspectives.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is one of those rare novels that captives you in the first chapter all the way through to the last page of the novel. Weaving together a beautiful story about family, culture, and one woman's strength and her children who learn so much from her even after she is gone.