Black Cake
Ratings65
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings65
Average rating3.9
We can't choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we are?
Byron and Benny haven’t seen each other in years. Now these estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s hidden past. When their mother Eleanor dies in California, they are left with a puzzling inheritance: a traditional Caribbean black cake and a voice recording whose contents will change Byron and Benny’s lives.
Will hearing their story help them to repair their broken family bonds and resolve their own struggles with identity? Or will they end up feeling more lost than ever? Theirs is a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to the UK and back to California. This is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history.
Reviews with the most likes.
I found it a little hard to get into initially but once I did I had to keep reading to see what would happen.
This is a beautiful book about families and mistakes and triumphs and traditions. It shows us the negative effects of racism and colonialism and sexism, but it doesn't let the characters drown in it. There is hope for overcoming and having a better future. There are hurts and mistakes made, but there is also forgiveness and second chances. This might be one of my top books for 2022.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a story of family secrets, what we will do for our children and to protect those we hold most dear, and finding ourselves in the midst of expectations that are placed on us by society, family, and community.
The structure of the book is a dual timeline, but is cleverly done in a way that doesn't give the reader whiplash from one storyline to the next. The short chapters and back and forth reads very smoothly, and adds to the story rather than distracting the reader.
The themes of family, inheritance, motherhood, race, emmigration, and grief are intertwined in a tale that has the reader rooting for the characters.
Great book club pick, and the author has a book club kit with a spotify playlist and recipes included!
