Returning home after her mother Eleanor’s death was heartbreaking to Benny Bennett, especially since she hadn’t seen her family for nearly a decade, after she dropped out of college and came out to her father about her sexuality. Byron, Benny’s older brother, was furious at Benny for not keeping in touch, for not attending their father’s funeral, and for not following in his path to success. He was a celebrated oceanographer, with a passion for his subject and a gift for encouraging the younger generation. After Benny dropped out of college, she took art classes and cooking classes, never truly finding her passion, until she had the idea to open a café. One of the featured desserts would be her mother’s famous black cake, a recipe handed down from somewhere in the family.

Both Byron and Benny were upset with their mother’s attorney, and though initially unwilling to listen to the audio recording Eleanor left for them, they honored their mother’s wishes and sat in the living room, where they learned for the first time the truth about their parents and their long journey through life that began on an island in the Caribbean and ended in a beach town in Southern California.

My emotions and my thoughts are all over the place after finishing Black Cake. I felt badly for Byron and Benny, losing Eleanor, and then to discover that their mother was not exactly what she had seemed had to be nearly impossible to believe. I cheered for Covey, with her talent for swimming, and for Bunny, her best friend, as they trained for an open water swim, and was nervous and scared right along with Covey as she left the island for London. Told from various points of view, Black Cake has an historical perspective on what it meant to be mixed race in the Caribbean and in London, while touching on some of the current issues of being black in America. It’s a story of love and loss, of thriving and surviving, and chronicles the estrangement and reconnection that so many of us have faced.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an eARC for an honest review!

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is a strong debut about two siblings who are reunited due to their mothers death and their mothers desire to come clean about her past. Told in alternating timelines this is a sweeping family epic about love, adulthood, motherhood, family, and a celebration of culture.

A few things really worked well. The characters all felt like real people with real reasons for doing the things they were doing; many times with something like this what one character is doing in particular is doing would seem outlandish, but the novel really does present a set of circumstances that make sense. I also really loved the pacing of the story and how it broke off into different characters perspectives giving us a sweeping vibe as the story unfolded.

A very small qualm is that I didn't really find myself connected to the world-the Caribbean island that some of our characters come from doesn't really come off as very vivid to me and the world building is really just alright, but I think that Wilkerson will really only get better.

I almost gave up at 13% but the power of bookhearts' persuasive positive reviews made me stick with Black Cake. Why? Because it was getting to be too many characters and POVs for my liking. Having finished the novel, I understand it was the right way to tell this story. Let me tell you more.

Two estranged siblings set aside their differences to deal with a puzzling inheritance from their mother. After her death, she leaves behind a traditional Caribbean black cake and an hours-long voice recording. She shares the story of her younger days on the island, the mystery of a long-lost child and other revelations that make the siblings question whether they really knew their mom. As it often happens in real life, secrets are revealed when a matriarch passes away!

Layers on layers on layers. The older generation is a constant backdrop even through the "Now" chapters. It is evident that debut author Charmaine Wilkerson is a grand storyteller that took her time, did the research and appreciates the art of writing. Black Cake is not for the impatient reader. It is a slow methodical journey through a family's secrets, betrayals, relationships and changes over the years. Family drama can be complex, especially in fiction.

Happy Pub Day, Charmaine Wilkerson! Black Cake is available today.

~LiteraryMarie

Black Cake is a beautiful story, though not without its share of tragedy, pain, and heartbreak, as multiple characters have experienced loss, hardship, discrimination, and even violence. Eleanor Bennett, at least as she is introduced to the reader at the beginning of the story, seems to have had a good and fortunate life. She has spent her final years a widow, but she and the love of her life, Bert, had forty wonderful years together before illness claimed him. Her son, Byron, is a famous marine scientist (who still makes time to take care of his mother); and his fame is more noteworthy because he is a black man succeeding in a career where people of color are woefully underrepresented (something he is trying to change). The only real tragedy in Eleanor's life would seem to be the estrangement of her daughter, Benny (Benedetta), from the rest of the family.

However, as Byron and Benny are soon going to discover, their mother, Eleanor Bennett, was hiding many secrets, and had lived a life vastly different from what she and Bert had told their children. Dying of cancer, Eleanor records a message for her children, revealing the secrets she has been guarding for decades, and which will upend the lives of her children and multiple others. The title of the book, "Black Cake", refers to the traditional Caribbean fruit cake (although elements of the dessert have its origins in other parts of the world), which has special significance to Eleanor and her family (and even more significance than her children realize once they learn the true story of her past).

The characters in the book are great -- dynamic, engaging, well developed. The story alternates between past and present, and the author does a great job of slowly revealing Eleanor's secrets. Some of the secrets the reader will probably figure out before they are revealed, but other secrets will likely come as surprises. The book deals with a variety of heavy topics in a forthright and open manner. I liked the way the author arranged for various characters to re-connect decades later. "Black Cake" is well worth reading.

This is a beautiful, propulsive novel. Something about the way Charmaine Wilkerson writes invites the reader to continue, to be resistant to put the book down. There is a sense of urgency present that is so difficult to achieve, but the author has managed it here. Perhaps it's the flash-fiction style short chapters that make up the structure of the book. There is something real and compelling about the characters of "Black Cake" and the way she has placed them on the page. Benny and Byron especially have such clear voices and perspectives, even though the novel is written in the third-person POV. It's also thrilling to have this classic Caribbean treat take center stage. A beautiful, enjoyable read.

I feel this headline by the NYT sets the scene perfectly “Your Mother Died. Now She Wants to Tell You Her Secrets”.

The story follows two estranged siblings, Byron and Benny, as they learn the truth about their mother’s life story by a voice recording she has left them after she dies. They quickly learn their mother is not who they thought she was. She also leaves behind a traditional Caribbean black cake, which is made from a family recipe. However, her final request is to “share the black cake when the time is right”.

The story is about how through food we are able to learn about our identities, cultures and form communities with others. But to me, I felt the story was also about the importance of family and how life-changing friendship could be. As well as how we confront trauma, the sacrifices we make for others and the gift and courage it takes to start over.

If you are a fan of …
🍰short chapters
🍰change in POVs and time
🍰mystery (who done it?)
🍰multigenerational family dramas

Then this is a great book to add to your TBR. It made me think of books like ‘Malibu Rising’ or ‘We Are the Brennan's as they center around family and the secrets we hide to protect those we care about. And you have to wait until the very end to learn about the secret that is driving the storylines.

As you read, you learn about the mother's life at the same time her kids are and it was done in a unique way where every time you are introduced to a new character it felt like another plot twist.

When you find out who committed the murder … 🤯. I loved the way it was revealed which solidified this book being a 4⭐️ read for me.

This book is the book club pick for so many book clubs and it is also being optioned to become a series! So I’m sure this book will be one of the most popular books of the year.

Covey’s (the mom) childhood was the most interesting to me and I wasn’t that invested in her kid's lives but I did love how the author tied in the important people in the mom’s lives with the children at the end. It was great to see everything come full circle and get closure.

Ugh, I loved it. Contemporary fiction will always be my favorite?! Love just the simple but complex storytelling.


I was absolutely fascinated with the story line and how it was focused on the present, but the MCs mother left an audio recording of her life up until her kids were born- when she passed away. Full of familial drama and redemption. I loved seeing how the story unfolded and how the title became “black cake,” and how it symbolizes so many things up until the end. This one will stick with you for awhile after.


The writing was nothing short of EXCEPTIONAL. I will be on the lookout for future books by this author!

I don’t think this has a “happy” ending, but one that has deep reasoning.

I wasn't planning to read this book. Neither the description nor the cover were particularly interesting to me. Then it came highly recommended. It sat on my shelf for quite awhile. When I finally got around to it, I couldn't put it down! Such engaging, lifelike characters, each with a storied past. I am so glad I read this.Wilkerson intertwines the past with the present effortlessly. And I love that you have all the answers, leaving no questions as to what truly happened at the end.

This novel is a celebration of diversity and food. The mystery surrounding the twins' mother's past was titillating and kept me engrossed. I loved the short chapters and the flow between characters and their connections.

This is a sweeping, multi generational, multi emotionally layered novel.

Beautifully written, I liked unique way of unveiling the story, with their deceased mother leaving a lengthy recording that disclosed years of family secrets. There is so much here; family relationships and regrets, Caribbean culture and diaspora, colonialism, racism.

The time frame shifted between then and now, but it was never confusing.
There were a number of characters, some of them with multiple names, but, again, never confusing as all was eventually revealed.

This is a story about two grown children who have recently lost their mother and find out that she (and their father who has also passed) actually had a much different life than their children knew. There is lingering dysfunction in the family and the daughter Benny has not really interacted with her family in years. This novel is a family drama that explores the secrets we keep, memories that define us, and the traditions that bind us. I really enjoyed the beginning and the end of this novel...but the middle was a bit murky for me. I found the mother's backstory interesting, but I think mainly the middle was difficult for me because I found the children's reactions a bit odd--both to the story and to each other. I just didn't feel emotionally invested with them. I don't think I really liked them much. I may have not loved the characters, but I did enjoy the story and its message as a whole. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.5/5 Star Rating

🍰🌊🏊🏾‍♀️

This was my January pick for my Book of the Month subscription and I am so glad I flipped a coin in favor of this book. When a debut novel is this incredible, it just gives me warm and fuzzy feels all over. *sigh* Confession: I’d never even heard of black cake before reading this book, so I don’t know which emoji best depicts it and will be using them all.

🥮🤷🏻‍♀️

As you can imagine from my 4.5 star rating, this book was near perfect. Beautifully written and successfully weaving multiple timelines, I was particularly drawn to the “flashback” timeline being shared by Eleanor Bennett. However, the characters in the present day timeline, Eleanor’s two adult children, were the weakest part of the story for me. I did not connect to or care about Byron or Benny and find myself skimming over their parts in the last quarter of the story. Because I found both of those prominent characters in this book to be flat and uninteresting, I knocked off half a star for this otherwise stellar debut.

Thank you to the author along with NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Byron and Benny have returned home to their mother's house following her death. Well, Byron has been there taking care of his ailing mom, but Benny hasn't been home in a long time. In fact, she wasn't even present at her father's funeral years before. Unlike Byron, she doesn't have a fancy degree and job. In fact, she barely has a job. Her life has definitely been a disappointment and she stayed away because she didn't want to see that reflected in her family's eyes.

Still, with her mother gone, she knows she has to come back and close that chapter of her life. But her absence has gone very noticed by her brother and it's made all the final rites very complicated. Add to that the story their lawyer presents to them, narrated by their mother. Apparently, she has another child that no one ever knew about.

The story of Byron and Benny is interesting and incredibly well-written, but where this book really shines is in the backstory. We meet young Covey, who lives with her single father in the West Indies. We meet her best friend Bunny, her object of affection, and of course there is Little Man, her betrothed.

After a horrifying wedding day, Covey has no choice but to flee the island she calls home and start over with nothing. Her story is epic and one for the ages. Her journey from the West Indies to her home in California has been a long and winding one. And the one thing that she kept her whole life as a reminder of where she came from, was that one black cake recipe that she enjoys every anniversary.

Black Cake is being developed as a mini-series for Hulu and I can't wait to see this one come to life on the small screen. Special thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed the book. The narrative was compelling and I was entranced by Eleanor's story. That part in particular was very engaging and well written. We get glimpses into other characters and a bit of their motivations and head space, which always makes things feel like there are so many shades of grey.

The book lost me with Byron at the end. He was the least we drawn and his narrative felt disjointed from what the rest of the book was about. It in an important storyline to explore but in this book it was completely out of place.

Great debut and looking forward to more from this author.

"Tradition,  his ma used to say. But whose tradition, exactly? Black cake was essentials a plum pudding handed down to the Caribbeans by colonizers from a cold country. Why claim the recipes of the exploiters as your own?"

I liked this book and I read it quickly. Here's something that may sound strange - I think it should have been longer! There were many aspects of the book that I wanted explored further. Such as Benny's euphemistic "love life" and the reasons her parents were so upset. I also want more on Marble's food theories and to connect that more with the black cake recipe. More on Byron's job and fight to be the director. I felt that some of that would have been more powerful if it went farther.

There were also characters who I liked that were given very little space in the novel. I wanted more about them (or less!). For example - Charles, Pearl, Marble's parents.

Overall, the story was intriguing and I loved learning about their mom's past and all she overcame. I think I'm unfairly comparing this book to Love Songs of W.E.B DuBois, which of course showed us that you don't need to shorten your debut if you have enough to tell your readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. This is a debut novel for this author. This book was a 5 star book for me. I loved the story of the family that was portrayed throughout the book. Her writing style was easy to read and kept me longing for more.
This is a story of two estranged siblings, Byron and Benny, that come together following the death of their mother. Their mother has left them an audiotape that is to be listened to upon her death. In this tape, the siblings realize that the mother they knew had many secrets and was not the person they thought she was.
This book is presented in two different timelines, present day California and the years prior to this when Covey was growing up on an island in the Caribbean. While the book travels back and forth between these two time periods, it was easy enough to follow. Interspersed within the novel is a written translation of the audio tape that was left to Byron and Benny.
This book touches on so many topics- family dynamics, being black in America, rape, child abandonment, motherhood, racial relations, sexuality, climate change. The story centers around the “black cake” and the recipe needed to make it. This cake is used for celebrations and is central to the evolving storyline.
I admired Covey and how she dealt with all of her struggles. Some of them brought tears to my eyes and other times I was laughing out loud. This book moved quickly for me and stayed with me for a long time after. I have highly recommended this book to many people so far.

I REALLY liked the way this started but as the story progresses, there are way too many POVs and characters that I lost track and then lost interest. It's not a bad book, I do think it had the capability of being profound and meaningful but I think it got lost in the writing too. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. A story about family, self discovery, and family. Do you really know your family or quite frankly - do you know who you are!? I was dran in from the beginning and it was such a quick read. I liked the different POV and timelines to give a complete story!

This book was so beautifully written.
Family dynamic can be difficult to read but the author beautifully displayed the duality of each family member. Disagreements and misunderstandings abound as these siblings find out their parents dark and mysterious past, as well as their true identities.

I typically struggle with slow-paced books but despite the pacing I was clinging to every word. This book gave me Brit Bennet vibes and I loved it.
This was a great start to Black History Month reading.

I loved this book so much. Wonderful characters and mystery. This book kept me turning pages late into the night. Absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year thus far!