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A review by librar_bee
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
"[T]he people you loved were part of your identity, too. Perhaps the biggest part."
"Who I am is your mother. This is the truest part of me."
5 stars. A sprawling tale of a family held together by a recipe for black cake and the desire to see past the horizon. The sea itself is as much a character as any of the others in this vivid saga, one that carries, loves, and holds the characters from life until death and beyond.
This is a story of second chances. At life, at family, at love, at becoming one with the sea. Every character in this story undergoes a transformation of some kind, one that binds them to each other over decades. Along the way, the characters commit wrongdoings against one another - from one's gambling of his daughter's life to one's hostility and lack of understanding towards his daughter's coming out - and come to reconcile with the events that transpire in the aftermath. Wilkerson has created a testament to what family could be, and how it can span land and sea.
Amid these relationships are the individual tensions of the characters - Byron's experiences with racism in his scientific industry and as a Black man in his daily life, Benny's lingering trauma and her struggles to realize her aspirations. Through tender and emotional interactions, not without their own pain and hardship, the two estranged siblings grow closer to an understanding of their late mother, her story, and how her legacy manifests in them and beyond.
An incredible, sweeping book that will leave visions in your head and empathy in your heart, Black Cake is a must-read.
"Who I am is your mother. This is the truest part of me."
5 stars. A sprawling tale of a family held together by a recipe for black cake and the desire to see past the horizon. The sea itself is as much a character as any of the others in this vivid saga, one that carries, loves, and holds the characters from life until death and beyond.
This is a story of second chances. At life, at family, at love, at becoming one with the sea. Every character in this story undergoes a transformation of some kind, one that binds them to each other over decades. Along the way, the characters commit wrongdoings against one another - from one's gambling of his daughter's life to one's hostility and lack of understanding towards his daughter's coming out - and come to reconcile with the events that transpire in the aftermath. Wilkerson has created a testament to what family could be, and how it can span land and sea.
Amid these relationships are the individual tensions of the characters - Byron's experiences with racism in his scientific industry and as a Black man in his daily life, Benny's lingering trauma and her struggles to realize her aspirations. Through tender and emotional interactions, not without their own pain and hardship, the two estranged siblings grow closer to an understanding of their late mother, her story, and how her legacy manifests in them and beyond.
An incredible, sweeping book that will leave visions in your head and empathy in your heart, Black Cake is a must-read.