Description
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 circle of relatives saga, “a character-driven, multigenerational story that’s meant to be savored” (Time).
“Wilkerson transports you across the decades and all over the world accompanied by complex, wonderfully drawn characters.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling creator of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Malibu Rising
In development as a Hulu original series produced by Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey (Harpo Films), and Kapital Entertainment
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Day by day, NPR, BuzzFeed, Glamour, PopSugar, Book Riot, She Reads
We can’t make a selection what we inherit. But are we able to make a selection who we grow to be?
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves in the back of a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a circle of relatives 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.
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves in the back of a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a circle of relatives 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 peculiar journey through the life of a circle of relatives changed ceaselessly by the choices of its matriarch.
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