Black Cake

“And what about a person's life? How do you make a map of that? The borders people draw between themselves. The scars left along the ground of one's heart.”

Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel is an impressive and inspiring story of the bonds of love and family in the face of adversity. She takes the reader on a journey through the map of the lives of the Bennett family, which traverses from Los Angeles back in time to the Caribbean and England.

As the novel opens, Eleanor Bennett has recently died, and her two ch

ildren, Byron and Benny, learn that she has left them a recording they must listen to. Before Eleanor's death, the Bennett family was a bit broken. Benny, Eleanor's daughter, has not spoken to the rest of the family in over 5 years, and her brother Byron is extremely resentful of her for causing this rift in the family. Their mother's death and the black cake she has left for them to share bring them back together, but mending the scars of their estrangement is not an easy task.

Eleanor's recording to her children reveals the story of her past, one filled with heartbreak and betrayal. This part of the story is told in flashbacks set in the Caribbean islands and then in England. We are introduced to Covey, a strong-willed, beautiful girl from the islands, who faces numerous challenges as she grows into a woman. The story eventually reveals a connection between Covey and Eleanor.

The cast of characters in this book is large, but every character plays an essential role in the development of the Bennett family. Each character is fleshed out as much as necessary for the role they play in the plot. The relationships between characters beautifully develop themes about love, loss, resentment, and betrayal.

The writing is straight-forward and simplistic at times and lyrical and complex at others. Wilkerson understands how to match the writing style to the characters and events in the story. She also artfully weaves many important topics into the story of this family, including racism, sexism, sexuality, and conservationism. My only complaint might be that there is maybe too many societal issues introduced in the book without the space to fully develop all of them.

Simply put, this is a great book. I will recommend it to everyone, especially those readers who love family drama. I look forward to reading more from this author.