Black Cake was popping up everywhere on my socials, Goodreads, and Book of the Month. I was so excited to read this one. Read on for my synopsis and book review:
Synopsis
After the death of their mother, Byron and Benny meet with their mother’s lawyer to discuss her estate. They discover that their mother has left them a voice recording that they must listen to in the presence of the lawyer. On the tape, their mother, Eleanor, reveals secrets about her upbringing on “the island” (presumably Jamaica) that Byron and Benny never knew. On top of all of this, Byron and Benny are trying to mend fences with each other. They have not seen each other in many years after a falling out between Benny and the rest of the family.
Details/Review
- This book is part contemporary fiction, part historical fiction.
- The story focuses on the food, cultural traditions, family, racism/colorism, honesty, and the importance of our heritage.
- This is not a light read. Wilkerson focuses on a lot of big issues such as misogyny, addiction, sexual assault, racial profiling, and unethical adoptions.
- It raises the question: how well do we really know our parents?
- I loved the premise of the book, unfortunately the execution was lacking.
- I had a hard time getting into this one. The narrative frequently jumps around from past to present. The past storyline develops as the kids listen to the tape. The present is them trying to come to terms with the implications of what they’ve learned.
- While the structure makes sense, it jumped around too much for me, especially when it would switch between so many characters in the past.
- I think I am a minority in my opinion of this book as it has mostly 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads. If it sounds interesting to you, you might want to check it out!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
You can buy Black Cake by clicking here.