Description
NOW A HULU STERAMING SERIES - NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY - Two estranged siblings delve into their mother's hidden past--and how it all connects to her traditional Caribbean black cake--in this immersive family saga, "a character-driven, multigenerational story that's meant to be savored" (Time). "Wilkerson transports you across the decades and around the globe accompanied by complex, wonderfully drawn characters."--Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Malibu Rising ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, NPR, BuzzFeed, Glamour, PopSugar, Book Riot, She Reads We can't choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett's death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. 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. Can 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? Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. 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.
Author: Charmaine Wilkerson
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 02/01/2022
Pages: 400
Weight: 1.4lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.60d
ISBN: 9780593358337
Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 09/01/2021 pg. 14
Publishers Weekly 12/13/2021
Booklist 01/01/2022 pg. 32
Library Journal 02/01/2022 pg. 66
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2022
BookPage 02/01/2022
About the Author
Charmaine Wilkerson is an American writer who has lived in Jamaica and is based in Italy. A graduate of Barnard College and Stanford University, she is a former journalist whose award-winning short fiction has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Black Cake is her first novel.
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett's death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. 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. Can 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? Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. 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.
Author: Charmaine Wilkerson
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 02/01/2022
Pages: 400
Weight: 1.4lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.60d
ISBN: 9780593358337
Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 09/01/2021 pg. 14
Publishers Weekly 12/13/2021
Booklist 01/01/2022 pg. 32
Library Journal 02/01/2022 pg. 66
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2022
BookPage 02/01/2022
About the Author
Charmaine Wilkerson is an American writer who has lived in Jamaica and is based in Italy. A graduate of Barnard College and Stanford University, she is a former journalist whose award-winning short fiction has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Black Cake is her first novel.