A review by thissagreads
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

adventurous hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

This book was so good!!! I couldn’t put it down- the twists were nice- but I loved reading the mother Eleanor’s past, and loved that she told it through an 8 hour recording.
Eleanor’s real name is Covey but after fleeing the Caribbean island she was from, the book tells us how she became Eleanor, why she had to flee her island, and that they have an older sister (from rape unfortunately.
The perspective and storytelling was RICH and engaging. 

The audio was so wonderful to listen too, and if there’s ever going to be a part two, I will read it in a heartbeat! I do wish that the author
explored Eleanor/Covey’s reservation for her daughter Benny’s bisexuality. Her husband was pissed but I think it was because Benny was career and life lost, and adding queerness was too much for this man LOL but it would’ve been nice to get a better understanding as to why Eleanor/Covey was upset too. 
This is a must read because the multigenerational saga, with
Eleanor/Covey’s Chinese father who spoke patios
was such a great listen and read!!! The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars, was because the ending felt rushed, especially after all the time and care that was put into Eleanor’s story. Plus, I felt like there could’ve been more on Byron and Benny after listening to their mother’s history
and it would’ve been nice to read about their older sister settling and getting to know Byron and Benny more.


HIGLY recommend this book, and then if you’re feeling like you want more of this story, watch the Hulu tv show haha
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