My recent winter read was Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, which one of my sisters shared. I finished over the weekend.
It is beautifully written. Several decades of the story go back and forth, now and then, when a brother and sister, Bryon and Benny (B and B), are faced with learning their mother’s secret, past life, and the family history they never knew until after their mother, Eleanor, passed and left a recording.
Not only are they trying to understand their family heritage and truths, but they are also dealing with personal problems and the fact that, as siblings, they have been estranged. Bryon and Benny must address their issues, fears, and choices based on what Eleanor’s attorney shares with them; as directed, he was instructed to play the recording made by their mother when B and B were together. They learn about their parents and people in their mother's past, which shocks them. After revealing the truths, they realize the importance of their family heritage, built upon a recipe passed down.
Charmaine Wilkerson writes in past and present, “Now and Then,” which made me want to keep reading because I, too, like B and B, wanted to understand and learn more.
Two friends as young girls were swimmers in the Caribbean; I enjoyed their friendship, encouragement of each other’s ability as swimmers in the open waters, and their love for the sea. The continuation of the ocean is a theme on various coasts, and environmental concerns develop in the story, bringing awareness and issues. Advocacy became a bond between the characters.
The cultural differences Charmaine brings into this novel are from the UK, China, the Caribbean, Italy, and the US. Black Cake deals with the spread of people from their homeland and how they identify with their cultural past, even when residing elsewhere.
In the section “A Letter From the Author,” Charmaine discusses the “cultural markers people inherit” and how they cling to specific symbols. In Black Cake, the cake recipe passed through generations means home, place, and identity. In her “Author’s Note,” she shares her research in writing this book. I appreciate the research she included at the National Archives in Jamacia and the UK, the mixing of cultures, and opportunities for people to train and get an education, even though the outcome wasn't always as promised.
The characters in her novel are determined to resolve the past, which gives them hope to pursue their dreams. But the bottom line is how much B and B were loved by their parents, who sacrificed everything to love each other. It is not a love story you will understand right away, which is good; Charmaine feeds you the meaning of ‘black cake’ with small bites throughout the book.
Have you read Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel, Black Cake? Please share your comments; I would love to hear from you.
