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‘Black Cake’ by Charmaine Wilkerson

Packs a punch from start to finish

Published by Ballantine Books, Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a meticulously crafted exploration of our ideas of family, home and lineage. The story takes off with the death of Eleanor Bennett, who leaves behind a mystifying inheritance for her two kids – a voice recording and a Caribbean black cake. These unusual items force Eleanor’s children – Byron and Benny – to set aside their differences and come together to decode this mystery. As the story in Eleanor’s voice recording slowly unravels, they find themselves knee deep in secrets that could fundamentally change the opinion they have about their mother. Emotional, witty and quick-paced, Black Cake raises pertinent questions about how we understand the people around us, especially our own family, and what happens when these long-standing notions are shattered in an instant.