***4.5 stars***

What a joy this was to read this debut... I repeat debut from Charmaine Wilkerson. The quality and depth of writing was simply amazing, I was blown away. I loved all the characters who were introduced to us from Bunny the best friend to Pearl the care taker (who all hold a special place in my heart).

This book was very poignant and deals with sensitive issues with such care and consideration- the research about the time periods and culture this author must have done was really clear in how she handled the issues discussed and I commend the author.

In my recap of 2022 at the end of the year, this book will easily find its way onto the list, there is no doubt! Please please give this book a try!

A beautiful and quietly epic debut novel from Charmaine Wilkerson. We join Byron and Benny on a journey of discovery as they learn about their family history and the secrets kept by their mother.

It’s a moving and emotional story which hangs together well and includes plenty of twists along the way. I will be thinking about this one for some time and recommending it to others.

It took me a while to get into the story, but once I was I couldn't stop reading. This is so amazing, brilliant and beatifully written. Really emotional and thought provoking. Highly recommended!

I absolutely loved this debut read, Captivating, impressive and a solid plot containing several elements and secrets being revealed. Despite being heavily loaded, this was not draining. Family relationships are at the centre of this story and each of the main characters are given a voice to represent their own perspective. With the timeline flowing from past to present, this story is flawlessly executed.

An emotional rollercoaster that is sure to pull on many reader’s heartstrings, as well as giving them plenty to think about. The writing style is of a high standard, and I can’t wait to read more by this author!

A fantastic, admirable and reflective read that I can not praise enough. An unhesitatingly five star recommended read!

I thought that Black Cake was absolutely brilliant and I was glued to the story from the first page to the last. I was completely caught up in the life of Eleanor Bennett and the various friends and family whose lives she touches.

At the heart of the book is Eleanor and what a memorable and wonderful creation she is. She has been through so much in her life, putting parts of it behind her and keeping secrets from her children and her husband. But with death approaching, she needs them to know who she is and add to their knowledge of who they are.

The story is told through a series of vignettes from the perspectives of a variety of different characters at different points of their lives and brought together into a bold, big-hearted, colourful story. We are shown how all the experiences combine to make each character who they are and what they are. It’s a story about identity: hiding it, reinventing it, discovering it.

Much in the way that separate ingredients combine almost magically to make a cake, so the elements of this book combine into this fantastic debut novel. I can’t wait to read more from Charmaine Wilkerson who I think is an exceptionally talented storyteller.

Moving as the first half is, the second part is even more so. Separation and loss, things said, others left unsaid. Decisions taken that have consequences during your lifetime and potentially long into the future. So much time until you realise you just didn’t have enough. All the ingredients perfectly combining into a delicious slice of Black Cake. (Alright, the dovetailing, the coincidences, the similarities are just too perfect but I’m willing to forgive that in this book filled with strong female characters who survive, and more despite the odds.)

Highly recommend.

It's hard to find enough words to convey how superb this book is. A sweeping story taking in many decades, the Caribbean, the US and the UK it is brilliantly clever, though-provoking and beautifully written. Without doubt, it will be one of my books of 2022.

Wonderful storytelling, the lives of the Bennett family told across time and continents. An interesting premise, the recently deceased matriarch's will is heard via an audio tape she left for her children. Different and very effective, as is the idea that she left them one of her famous black cakes, to share together when the time is right. Moving between the past and the present, we learn of their lives and their secrets, their hopes and heartaches. It's beautifully written and the characters are excellent. A superb debut, definitely an author to watch, highly recommend!

Loved this intergenerational family story! Sometimes they are hard to follow but I liked how clear each section is divided. Very interesting themes explored.

This story is absolutely stunning, amazing and fantastic I can’t believe it’s a debut novel at all. The story is beautiful, the characters are so well written and constructed, full of depth. Black Cake tells the story of intertwining lives across different generations and is a story of love, loss and family, the bond that hold us together. Absolutely brilliant

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I enjoyed this book very much.It’s about the Bennet family ,going back two generations ,starting with Eleanor ,who grew up in an unnamed Caribbean island in the 60s and moving on to the story of her children ,who learn after Eleanor’s death that there was a lot that they didn’t know about their mother. It covers a range of topics and deals with identity ,discrimination and the role of women in society .The characters are well drawn and relatable and the plot drew me in.
I look forward to reading more books by this author.Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Although it started a bit slowly, this book soon became a compelling read.

A bit of a mystery and a life story, all intertwined and told retrospectively. Two adult children are called to see their, recently deceased, mother's lawyer - and find that their background is not at all what they had always believed.

Well told, engagingly written. A most enjoyable book.

There is so much to love about Black Cake. Complex and intertwined family history with social and cultural issues highlighted with nuance and sensitivity.

Dual timelines tell the story of Covey and there are plenty of delicious secrets revealed over time.

Siblings Byron and Benny are together for the first time in eight years after the death of their mother, Eleanor. She leaves behind an audio file revealing her truth. A truth that is to change their lives. And to reveal so much about their mother that they never knew. In the process of getting to know her on a whole new level, they come to terms with their own tragedies and find self-forgiveness and compassion for one another.

Truly moving and absorbing.

This was a perfect example of less is more. The author evidently has lots and lots of ideas but unfortunately put too many of them in the one book. Really serious issues which could probably have been dealt with in almost a book each. I found too many characters crossing too many timelines which just lead to confusion.

A nuanced and beautifully portrayed narrative crossing generations and countries. The writing is full of strong emotions within a gripping plotline. Raises questions and dilemmas for the the reader to ponder along with the characters.
Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

‘I owe it to you to let you know about my past because this is your story, too.’ Charmaine Wilkerson

Estranged siblings Byron and Benny reunite at the funeral of their mother Eleanor Bennett. She has left them a voice recording with information about their past which they must listen to in the presence of her lawyer and each other. Through this recording, we are taken back to the 1960's to an island in the Caribbean, where we meet a young girl named Covey who is an avid swimmer. Her mother left years ago and her dad drinks and gambles most of their money away. Her dad needs to repay the debt he owes which causes a chain of events that means that Covey can never return to the island again...

What about the title Black Cake? Well, Eleanor's signature cake was black cake, full to bursting with fruits and soaked in rum and served on the best of occasions. The story centres around this black cake-Benny learns the recipe from her mother and her mother has left one behind after her death as well for it to be eaten together after listening to her voice recording.

This book had a lot of elements that I love in a story- it's a multigenerational tale, spanning across the Caribbean, London and the US, there are short chapters told from multiple perspectives and a multitude of themes including racism, trauma and the bonds of love in their varying forms.

A family story that draws you in, spanning decades with revelation after revelation.

Black Cake begins with estranged siblings Byron and Benny coning together to listen to a recording made by their mother Eleanor who recently passed. Their lives are upended as Eleanor reveals her true life story to them. Can they find each other again, and share their mother’s traditional black cake again when the time is right?

Rich and captivating, Black Cake is an incredible debut which is engaging from the beginning. Characters are well developed and crafted so they lift right off the page. I felt like I had been with this family their whole lives.

Wilkerson is a skilled storyteller, and I was hanging on every word. There is real heart in this novel, with love and family on every page.

Satisfying and enthralling, it transported me away to the waters of the Caribbean, the bustling city of London and the relaxed atmosphere of Southern California. Eleanor’s story will have you laughing, crying and everything inbetween. I cheered her on and grieved with her, and was heartbroken every time I remembered that this story is told through the reading of her will.

If you’re looking for escapism, this is it.

No review can do this book justice. Be transported and read this book.

A multi-generational story, told in two timelines, set in the USA, London, and the Caribbean.

The writing was lyrical and the pacing laid back, with complex characters and an interesting story. I really enjoyed reading the island life sections and the traditions around food.

The story approaches many sensitive issues; interracial marriage, domestic abuse, gambling and alcohol addiction, parental abandonment, arranged marriage, rape, forced adoption, racism and homophobia, environmental issues to name but a few!

Of course these issues are important, and were handled well. However alongside a large cast of characters (some with more than one name), numerous POVs and shifts in timeline, this resulted in me not feeling connected to the characters or the story.

The author chose to cast wide rather than deep, and it suffered in my opinion.

Brother and sister Byron and Benny haven't seen each other since Benny walked out after a family row about what their parents saw as her lifestyle choices and she saw as her own ways of loving and arranging her life. And just why are they expected to be so perfect? Byron's angry with Benny as he's over-achieved and pushed through his career, but at the expense perhaps of the freedom and love he sees Benny grasping. Now they're in a lawyer's office, being forced to pay attention to their late mum's words and work out when (and whether!) to share the last black cake she made for them.

For their mum, the recipe for black cake was the only thing she took with her from her original life. We follow the story of several characters from a 1960s Caribbean island, loosely based on Jamaica, to the UK and the US, and at first we're as confused as Benny and Byron as we all learn about people they've never heard of before. Who are these people and how are they connected with their parents? Did their parents have lives before them? Gradually events unfold and unfurl, hopping backwards and forwards through the timeline, but in a self-assured manner that works out fine, and touching on gender violence, mores in various countries, colourism, micro-aggressions, climate change and pollution, and privilege - but never in a heavy or preachy way.

I can't believe this is a debut book as it's so well done and self-assured. I loved the Afterword with suggestions for further reading, too! Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this book, the sisterhood lasting decades and the twists an turns kept me hooked. I also really want to try some black cake now