Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Black Cake

A slow reveal of beautiful character studies. The world building of their personal histories were detailed and grounded, which I loved — felt like a fully realized picture of all these perspectives. While it was beautifully written, I personally didn’t connect as strongly with the emotional beats of the story due to the natural detachment created by the distance between storyteller and story (recordings/letters), so it wasn’t a 5 for me but still a high quality read for when you’re in the mood for a literary family drama.

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justovereherereading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

What a novel…a beautiful story of one women’s life from beginning to end told from an audio recording after her death and through the narrative of those in her past and present.
Throughout the book it brings together all those from every facet of her journey in a beautiful climax where all the unanswered questions are revealed and one feels that Coventina Lyncook can finally be at peace as no stone is left unturned and no question is left unanswered.
A stunning narrative!

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I did have plans to make a Black Cake to use in this post but it’s Easter so a Hot Cross Bun will have to do!

I loved the layers and depth in this story. Like a special cake recipe it takes ingredients, some common and some less so, blending them into something fresh and unique, that you’ve never had before.

This is a dual timeline family drama centred on Eleanor Bennet who, on her death, leaves a recording revealing some surprising life secrets to her adult children Byron and Benny. Her story involves plenty of ups, downs and unexpected twists. This was a family story that touched on many social issues including addiction, racial discrimination, sexual identity, immigration, colonisation and more. This is something I enjoy. The writing was strong, the storytelling compelling, the ending satisfying. There were definitely some heavy elements so check for content warnings. I appreciated the way these were balanced by other aspects of the story such as the focus on the ocean and the role of food, both of which brought joy and a sense of belonging.

An excellent debut.

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jenna_justi2004's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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astephen's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

really enjoyed this book. I was looking forward to it after reading a summary before its publication, and it did not disappoint. It is well-written and weaves multiple different themes, characters, and time periods together well. Identity--where it comes from, how it changes, what being in the grey spaces in-between two more clear cut categories means is one of the major themes. However, the book also touches on climate change, colorism, racism, the immigrant experience, sexuality, and so much more. Despite all these weighty themes the story never felt heavy-handed or preachy. The plot itself, with its slow revelation of the truth through jumps in place and time kept me engaged and the writing was strong. I definitely recommend this title.

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jmbibliophile's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Black Cake is a compelling story about family, personal identity, and adversity. Eleanor's story is heartbreaking, but her strength and perseverance despite it all is incredibly inspiring.

I love how Wilkerson was able to make something as innocuous as black cake into something so impactful. The cake was an important part of Eleanor's childhood and was the only thing she felt she could share about her life with her loved ones. Black cake is also a symbol for diaspora, which was an important element of each character's identity.

The writing was thoughtful and beautiful. I enjoyed the use of multiple perspectives, which allowed us to intimately understand each character.

I was also pleased that Wilkerson wrapped up the story by filling in the remaining gaps in Eleanor's past. It was nice to get the full picture and not be left to assume.

Overall, this book was excellent, and I absolutely recommend it.

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kamin8882's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"I owe it to you to let you know about my past because this is your story, too"

This is a story of love, loss, family, motherhood, forgiveness and never forgetting your culture and where you come from.

Black cake follows estranged siblings Byron and Benny, as they are trying to understand the mother they loved and lost. Eleanor Bennett has left behind her two children and an 8 hour audio recording, holding all the secrets of her life that she has held onto for so long. This book covers a lot of heavy topics that were written about so beautifully- family issues, sexuality, freedom, child abandonment, family secrets, being a single mother, motherhood in general, racism, island life, climate change, identity, family recipes, culture, heritage, SOOOO MANY THINGS !!

I really loved reading about Eleanors life, learning about her right along sing her children, who were going through their own things, but still so shocked to hear these things about their mother- they felt betrayed, worried, sad, confused, misunderstand, but also feeling that their mother was right there holding them still.

The culture in this book was amazing. I loved reading about the island life and how food brought everyone together. The appearance of black cake throughout the novel was great too... it was a tradition that continued on throughout the generations, and also held the most secrets for the Bennett family. I also REALLY loved the consistency of the ocean... I just recently read a memoir where they were talking about how if you understand the ocean and how it moves, you can really understand a woman. I felt that in this book... no matter what, the ocean was always an escape for the characters in this book to feel free and alive.

The only reason I didn't give this book a full 5 stars is because it was a little slow at times and it got a little confusing with all the characters to keep track of ( I had to take notes lol) Other than that, the story was beautiful and I loved the way the author took you back to the beginning where it all started... and moved you through this families life with ease and style.

"Because the people you loved were part of your identity, too. Perhaps the biggest part."

Thank you Netgalley, Ballantine Books and Charmaine Wilkerson for an advanced copy of Black Cake in exchange for an honest review.

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lita_tori's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

5.0

"The beauty of a thing justified its plunder. And nothing was more beautiful than a girl who was fearless."

Black cake is a powerful multigenerational debut following siblings Byron and Benny in the wake of their mothers death. They discover an inheritance from their mother that they never expected and that has the power to divide them further or knit their bond back together.

I really loved the overall message in this book, which was evident throughout, with every POV you came across. The characters were well built, loveable and adapted and changed as the story progressed.

And the story just hooked you, with short chapters to make it seem faster paced. The writing was simple but so descriptive and mesmerising, with me finding myself often stopping to reread a portion and highlight it on my Literal account.

For a debut book I preordered on a whim, it's an author I will be keeping an eye on from now on.

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