In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s death and her hidden past–a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake.We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean 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.
Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?
Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.
The Review
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
I was hesitant to pick this one up. I read it concurrently with WHAT MY BONES KNOW and I was nervous about the combination.
Something about the synopsis led me to believe it was going to be emotionally charged and although it was heartfelt it was written at a distance which allowed me to access the themes comfortably. And I appreciated that.
The writing was textural and rich and layered. I recommend to readers looking for solid writing, a captivating family mystery, and themes around strained relationships.
Out now!
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this advanced copy!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped herlife
“Every cell in my body is filled with the code of generations of trauma, of death, of birth, ofmigration, of history that I cannot understand. . . . I want to have words for what my bonesknow.”
By age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD–a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years.
Both of Foo’s parents abandoned her when she was a teenager, after years of physical and verbal abuse and neglect. She thought she’d moved on, but her new diagnosis illuminated the way her past continued to threaten her health, relationships, and career. She found limited resources to help her, so Foo set out to heal herself, and to map her experiences onto the scarce literature about C-PTSD.
In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Foo interviews scientists and psychologists and tries a variety of innovative therapies. She returns to her hometown of San Jose, California, to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on the community, and she uncovers family secrets in the country of her birth, Malaysia, to learn how trauma can be inherited through generations. Ultimately, she discovers that you don’t move on from trauma–but you can learn to move with it.
Powerful, enlightening, and hopeful, What My Bones Know is a brave narrative that reckons with the hold of the past over the present, the mind over the body–and examines one woman’s ability to reclaim agency from her trauma.
The Review
Stephanie Foo’s eerily monotone voice leaks out from headphones as she vividly walks me through her story of Complex-PTSD.
The reason behind the monotony will impale you whether or not you are listening or reading with your eyes.
I received an early copy but knowing that Stephanie was to narrate compelled me to wait until publication to read.
One of the healing aspects of reading and memoirs specifically is simply the process of giving voice to that which is silent. To shed light on what is dark. To illuminate the shadows.
This human journey is one we are all doing together and every person lives their own life however, knowing you are not the only one to have been through something allows you and your experience to be affirmed.
I hope more work will be done in this area and field. I appreciate Stephanie’s story and will be looking into further reading on C-PTSD.
This book will not be the answer to anyone’s struggles with Complex PTSD, it will be an echo. I hope you pick this up, it’s available everywhere books are sold.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this advanced copy!
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide…
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.
The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.
The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge
Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.
The Review
I’m sure I lived at least one life in Paris…
In one of my most anticipated of the year, Lucy Foley does so much right in this newly-released, modern classic. THE PARIS APARTMENT by Lucy Foley:
Told in alternating views, TPA is crafted so well I didn’t mind the cast of characters. In fact, I’d say the characters are the strength of the book.
It reminded me of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE the way each character plays a role within the plot and as the story unravels more and more about each character is revealed.
A classic thriller with sexed-up-CLUE-vibes -Parisian style. Recommended to readers who need a reminder that good thrillers do exist. And bad characters make them better.
I needed this book so much this week!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️The audiobook was part of the enjoyment of this book. The narrators did a wonderful job on this one.
