Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
BookBar says: If you love a hearty family story, you'll love Black Cake. Set between the Carribbean, London and California, it follows two siblings as they discover family secrets through a message left to them by their mother. One for fans of Small Island and Love After Love.
**A Grazia Instagram 'IT' book to watch out for** Everyone wants to discover what they're made of . . .
Juggling lives and crossing continents, BLACK CAKE is the extraordinary story of how the inheritance of secrets, betrayal and memories can shape a family for generations'A story that is as meaningful as it is delicious. At turns delightfully juicy and then stunningly wise, Black Cake is a winner' TAYLOR JENKINS REID, author of Daisy Jones and The Six'An extremely assured debut which pulls in threads and echoes from across the Caribbean diaspora to deliver a rich, complex and really satisfying novel' ALISON FINCH, BBC Radio 4'I was instantly taken in by this multi-generational tale of identity, family, and the lifelong push and pull of home. This novel has a tremendous heart at its centre, and I felt its beat on every page.
What an extraordinary debut' MARY BETH KEANE, author of Ask Again, Yes________'We can't go to the island, Bryon. We don't really know what we're getting into . .
.'Eleanor Bennett won't let her own death get in the way of the truth. So when her estranged children - Byron and Benny - reunite for her funeral in California, they discover a puzzling inheritance. First, a voice recording in which everything Byron and Benny ever knew about their family is upended.
Their mother narrates a tumultuous story about a headstrong young woman who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder, a story which cuts right to the heart of the rift that's separated Byron and Benny. Second, a traditional Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe with a long history that Eleanor hopes will heal the wounds of the past. Can Byron and Benny fulfil their mother's final request to 'share the black cake when the time is right'?Will Eleanor's revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?________**Soon to be a major drama series for Hulu by Orpah Winfrey, Aaron Kaplan and Marissa Jo Cerar**
'So beautifully written I'm struggling to believe it's a debut . . . The scenes are so well drawn I could almost taste the cake, feel the warm sea on my skin. My heart broke and was put back together. Bravo' NIKKI MAY, author of Wahala