BLACK CAKE

In this atmospheric and moving debut novel, estranged siblings Benny and Byron are reluctantly reunited after the death of their mother Eleanor, who has left instructions for them to share her treasured black cake and learn the true story of her past. Told in a nonlinear structure with “now/then” chronologies, the story transports us to Eleanor’s Caribbean island, rich with decades old mysteries, long simmering rivalries, and a tapestry of multicultural traditions. Can a shared loss heal the siblings’ fractious relationship, or will their mother’s secrets reveal that they never really knew their family at all? A long lost child, a daring escape and an unsolved murder bring drama to this poetic debut.

I enjoyed the unhurried way each element of Eleanor’s story unfolded into a legacy for her adult children, who are not too old to learn about their family’s culture, identity and surprises. Black Cake raises an interesting quandary: how well do we need or want to know those closest to us? In some ways, this book challenges the assumption that families and loved ones should want to know everything about each other. Does that knowledge always bring healing and strength? I particularly enjoyed leaning into the immersive backstories of the Caribbean that conjured the sights, smells and sounds of Jamaica, one of my favorite places on earth.

The black cake of the title is everything: it is love, heritage, independence, memory, life lessons, and loss. Since I knew I would make black cake for this post, a long process that involves soaking dried fruit in rum and port for days, I listened on audio while I cooked, a wonderfully immersive way to enjoy the novel. It’s a labor intensive cake that requires patience, which I felt deeply as Benny searched for her mother’s recipe, only to learn from its vagueness that she knows how to proceed already - in the kitchen, and in life.