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sagebrush_ 's review for:
Black Cake
by Charmaine Wilkerson
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There is A LOT going on in this book. Racism, homophobia, biphobia from LGBTQ members, class issues, sexual assault, domestic violence, police brutality, multigenerational conflict between family members, climate change…
And the narrators. So many narrators. I started writing down the names and a brief summary as I went through. For instance, when I was 70% of the way through the book, still more characters were being introduced!
I really wanted to love this one, but the main issue for me was the writing. I didn’t get to spend long enough with each narrator to feel I really knew them. The narration switch seemed to be for convenience at times instead of building a rich story. Several topics I wanted to hear more about were brushed to the side to introduce more issues.
I would most likely read another publication by Charmaine Wilkerson; it was a close to being a love-it book for me.
And the narrators. So many narrators. I started writing down the names and a brief summary as I went through. For instance, when I was 70% of the way through the book, still more characters were being introduced!
I really wanted to love this one, but the main issue for me was the writing. I didn’t get to spend long enough with each narrator to feel I really knew them. The narration switch seemed to be for convenience at times instead of building a rich story. Several topics I wanted to hear more about were brushed to the side to introduce more issues.
I would most likely read another publication by Charmaine Wilkerson; it was a close to being a love-it book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Police brutality, Murder