Black Cake

Black Cake is a Caribbean novel about a family with secrets—secrets only revealed after the parents have died. Charmaine Wilkerson is a gifted storyteller with the ability to weave multiple perspectives, generations, and timelines into one seamless story. Her characters are true to life and well drawn, and revelations about them continually surprise throughout the novel. While considered a Caribbean novel, the story also takes place in LA, New York, the UK, and Italy. Black cake, the prevailing motif in the novel, is one of my favorite deserts, so that added to the fun for me. This novel is one of the best Caribbean novels I’ve read.