The beauty of a thing justified its plunder. And nothing was more beautiful than a girl who was fearless.
Black Cake
by Charmaine Wilkerson
Genre: Historical Fiction
About: Eleanor Bennett has secrets but she doesn't want to die with them. So she makes her last black cake, full of history and memories, and records a message for her children so that they can finally understand where they come from. There's so much they don't know, and even some secrets that aren't hers to tell...
The Good
The writing pulled me in instantly as well as the all the different timelines; how they connected to each other and shaped the lives of the characters was so beautifully thought. Wilkerson really moulds together the history and context of the then and now to give her story stunning layers. From 1900s Chinese immigration in the Caribbean, to 1960s Black and Brown immigration in Britain, to how Black people are treated today in the United States... Coercive adoptions and environmental issues were also huge parts of the novel's commentary. In another book I might think that there was too much to digest yet Wilkerson managed to lace these important issues into the narrative in such an unforced way.
But what I really loved about this novel were the characters. Covey, Lin, Byron and Benny were the POVs I was drawn to the most. They made me feel such a deep connection to the idea of home and nature. To tradition and what that actually means to our identities, to our history, and to our future.
The Bad
Sometimes I loved how short the chapters were, but often I found myself wishing we could stay longer with one storyline or character. We switch so much and there were so many emotionally heavy moments that needed a slower pace for me. For example, Bunny's history with losing Covey, her relationship with Jimmy, then Patsy, moving countries, having a child... it all happened in one chapter and was a lot to take in.
So much happens in fact that when those weights began to be lifted, it felt as if the novel ended too early. Two-thirds into the story I'd been given so many emotional releases that the last third felt more like a wrap up than something I was compelled to read. I should have been eager to meet the lost child and desperate to find out what happened to Mathilda and who murdered Little Man all those years ago, but these moments were given to us after characters had completed their journeys. Eleanor had told most of her story, Gibbs we find out had followed his daughter in secret and come to terms with her life, Bunny had moved on, Byron had had a revelation with his public speaking and connecting with his roots, and Benny had reconnected with her mother. The loose ends weren't all tied up, but emotionally the story was - at least it felt that the story's arc and the character's emotional arcs didn't quite line up towards the end.
The Somewhat Iffy
So many of the careers these characters had were really interesting and inspiring, but it seemed crazy to me how many characters were internet famous. Byron was a social media darling, Bunny was world record famous, Marble was TV talk show famous, and towards the end Benny's art became viral. It just seemed strange how easy fame came to everyone when the story itself was rooted in secrets and staying hidden.
Overall
A beautiful and thoughtful story that packs in so much history. I loved the deep dive into character's pasts and the unravelling of complicated family relationships.
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