A review by just_one_more_paige
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? No

4.0

 
Y'all this one was just everywhere and it was so popular and then Hulu decided to adapt it and honestly I was just curious and wanted to see what the fuss was about. 
 
Behind on reviews and feeling lazy today...so here's the blurb from Goodreads: "In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves." 

 Alright, I can absolutely see why Hulu picked this up and turned around production so quickly - this book has all the elements of interest that keep viewers (and readers!) invested and on the edge of their seat. There was so much drama (family, community, historical, etc.) and secrets, and all of it was so intriguing (with lots of foreshadowing) and mysterious and communicated with well-paced and easy, compelling writing (helped in large part by the short chapters and lots of POVs sprinkled in).  
 
Wilkerson also did a great job making everything feel...genuine. With this amount of drama, things could easily have gotten to a point where they were unbelievable and there was no emotional connection to the characters and their experiences/relationships. Somehow, Wilkerson avoided that, walking the tightrope of "this is too wild to be true" and "this could totally happen" very smoothly. And there was a lot to balance, as the complications, miscommunications, secrets and misinterpretations in this family ran deeeeeeep. As those got revealed and detailed and resolved (or not, as it were), the amount of character development was reallllly good. Like, I was expecting this to be more plot, because of the book club/Hulu show situation, but *damn* even all the tiny side characters got full stories here! Hats off. 
 
Finally, Wilkerson managed to jam pack this book not just with plot and character development, but also with an impressive array of social commentary and contemporary cultural issues and "hot topics." Of these more intentional and deeper messages, earth conservation, racism (specifically the realities of life as a Black person in Europe/the US), and the diaspora/acculturation of food were at the forefront. There was also some really uplifting conversation about the traditions of a culture, and what a person/group is allowed or encouraged to pressure (be it jobs, sports, special interests, etc), and the leaders in pushing back against those norms. Similar to the number of secrets and storylines and characters Wilkerson balanced, I was impressed with how she was able to authentically include so many (seemingly) disparate issues. It all plays a part in the overall mastery in the writing of this novel: how well she portrayed complex lives/characters, in a way that mirrors how complex we are as real people, living real lives.   
 
Black Cake weaves together history and present day and the breadth of the diaspora from movement both involuntary (slavery and the search for safety) and voluntary, and mixes it with the intimacies of family drama in a way that shows how we are all a product of that complex and interwoven story of humanity, in ways known/expected and unknown/unexpected. Just so well done, in all ways. 
 
 
 “What if knowing the truth were to hurt more than the longing?” 
 
“Yeah, tradition has sometimes told us that only certain kinds of people should study certain subjects, or engage in certain sports, or play in an orchestra, or what have you, but tradition is about what people have or have not done; it's not about what they are capable of doing. And it's not about what they will be doing in the future.” 
 
“Question yourself, yes, but don’t doubt yourself. There’s a difference.” 
 
“…thinking of small but profound inheritances. Of how untold stories shape people’s lives, both when they are withheld and when they are revealed.” 
 
“…nothing was more beautiful than a girl who was fearless.” 
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