Once Eleanor’s revelations (and misfortunes) began to unfold, I had difficulty putting down the book. I was utterly fascinated (and, at times, horrified) by Eleanor’s gripping history. I loved how this multigenerational story was revealed in two timelines: Eleanor’s tragic story in the past and the intrigue in the present revolving around Eleanor’s children - and their relationship to each other and to their mother. As we progress through the recording and their mother’s shocking and oftentimes heartbreaking secrets are revealed, Benny and Byron, in shock, realize that they didn’t know their mother at all.

She begins in the 1960s with her life on an unnamed Caribbean island until she is forced to flee to Great Britain and finally flee once again to settle in America. In the recording, Eleanor tells the story of her life, and in so doing, reveals her hidden past. She also instructs that after her children have heard the recording, they are to share the Black Cake (a Caribbean specialty served for special occasions) stored in the freezer but only at the right moment, when the time is right.

Eleanor has left an audio recording for her children to listen to in the presence of the attorney.

ReviewĮleanor Bennet has died, and her two estranged children, Benny and Byron, come together to the office of Eleanor’s attorney. 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. 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.

Review of black cake