Black Cake

Critics Review

• Unputdownable. Astonishing. Twists and turns so shocking they will leave your head spinning and your heart aching

  Grazia

• An extremely assured debut which pulls in threads and echoes from across the Caribbean diaspora to deliver a rich, complex and really satisfying novel

  Alison Finch, BBC Radio 4

• A delicious novel. The chapters come fast and furious . . . A satisfying literary meal, heralding the arrival of a new novelist to watch

  Independent

• Black Cake is a beautiful, deeply resonant story of children trying to understand the mother they have lost. Charmaine Wilkerson transports you across the decades and the globe accompanied by complex, wonderfully drawn characters. She has managed to tell a story that is as meaningful as it is delicious. At turns delightfully juicy and then stunningly wise, Black Cake is a winner

  Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones and The Six

• Black Cake explores the ways we use meals not just to nourish ourselves but to help tell unspeakable stories. Family, food, festering resentment – you’ll find plenty to chew on . . . Wilkerson approaches her plot like a mad chef, grabbing ingredients from all over the world, slicing and dicing with abandon, tossing characters and palm fronds and a few drops of rum into a pot and letting it all come to a simmer . . . A roiling soup of family secrets, big lies, great loves, bright colours and strong smells

  New York Times

• I was instantly taken in by this multi-generational tale of identity, family, and the lifelong push and pull of home. This novel has a tremendous heart at its centre, and I felt its beat on every page. What an extraordinary debut

  Mary Beth Keane, bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

• A special, beautifully written novel that’s as rich and intoxicating as the Jamaican rum cake of its title

  Good Housekeeping

• So beautifully written I’m struggling to believe it’s a debut. The cake is the glue that holds all the layers together and the scenes are so well drawn I could almost taste the cake, feel the warm sea on my skin. My heart broke and was put back together. Bravo

  Nikki May, author of Wahala

• I [. . .] was immediately drawn in

  i

• I loved the brilliant writing, the characters and the clever and beautiful way the story melded together. A stunning book

  Prima, 'BOOK OF THE MONTH'

• Wilkerson explores the nuances of racial identity and betrayal in a powerful novel

  Vogue

• BLACK CAKE has all the ingredients of the tastiest stories: secrets, romance, danger, and a cast of characters so real you want to scream at them one moment and hug them the next. I felt nearly breathless while reading Eleanor’s truth – as if I were right there in the room with Byron and Benny, wholly immersed in their mother’s tragedies and triumphs

  Dawnie Walton, author of The Final Revival of Opal and Nev

• A stunning page-turner, with characters that felt real and relatable. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. An incredible debut

  Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

• Black Cake took a hold of me from the first page and didn’t let go … A gripping, poignant debut from an important new voice

  Naima Coster, New York Times bestselling author of What's Mine and Yours

• A sparkling debut, which examines migration, estrangement and the stories we tell about ourselves

  METRO

• Included in ‘The books we’re looking forward to in 2022’

  Good Housekeeping

• This powerful debut about family and identity, set against a backdrop of Caribbean culture, history and traditions, already has the stamp of approval from Oprah

  Heat

• A powerful, beautiful debut

  Woman's Own

• A multi-generational debut generating hype

  Grazia

• You can’t help but fall in love with this book

  Stylist

• Utterly engrossing and full of twists, Black Cake is absolutely worth the calories

  Red

• A testimony to how migration, memories and the life decisions of our elders can trickle down the generations and shape us. The careful cultural references to the Caribbean diaspora are deliciously nostalgic – I couldn’t get enough!

  Good Housekeeping, Books of the Year

• A shining family saga . . . Readers will adore this highly accomplished effort from a talented new writer

  Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

• A heartfelt story of loss, lies and reconciliation

  Daily Mail

• Black Cake is such an engaging novel. The structure works brilliantly with its dual narrative and short, sharp chapters. As I read, I felt like I could taste the sweet and spice of the black cake that links generations of the same family. Wilkerson’s Black Cake is filled with secrets, family ties and hidden desires. It is an extremely satisfying read that stays with you long after the final page. As moreish as its title. If you want to be transported, read this book

  Jodie Chapman, author of Another Life

• A family drama meets murdery mystery

  Sunday Times

• The perfect recipe for an epic family drama . . . Feuds, grief, and a murder make Charmaine Wilkerson’s Black Cake unputdownable

  Grazia Book Club Online

• One of the most feverishly anticipated debuts of the year

  Daily Mail

• A delicious and gripping tale that sweeps the reader across decades and continents

  Guardian

• I really savoured this rich, layered family saga … Charmaine’s writing is subtle and lyrical, pulling you into a powerful story of secrets, roots and identity. The flavour of it will linger long after you’ve finished

  Beth Morrey, bestselling author of Saving Missy

• An extraordinary debut

  Hello!

• A sweeping story, with Wilkerson masterfully bringing together all the different threads, making social history the backbone of everything

  Independent

• Completely blew me away … I loved the brilliant writing, the characters and the clever and beautiful way the story melded together … this is a stunning book

  Red, Book of the Month

• Delving into ideas around identity, familial bonds and lifelong secrets, Black Cake looks to be a wildly moreish page-turner

  Refinery29

• Touching on racism and acceptance, betrayal and loyalty, this emotional, heartfelt debut explores the meaning of home and the family that define it

  Daily Express

• A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson weaves social history into the backbone of the story, in a way that’s nothing short of masterful

  Courier

• This emotional, heartfelt debut explores the meaning of home and the family that define it

  Sunday Express

• A skilful debut about family secrets – and food

  i news

• A wonderful immersive experience

  Daily Mail

• A beautiful read – a real pageturner

  Women's Hour, BBC Radio 4

• A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson weaves social history into the backbone of the story, in a way that’s nothing short of masterful.

  Herald

• A resonant story of identity, family and the meaning of home

  Mail on Sunday

• A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson masterfully weaves social history into the backbone of the story

  Press Association

• Prepare to be hooked

  The Handbook

• Impressive

  Evening Standard

• A rich story around immigration and identity … the novel beautifully captures the struggles of family and identity and the liberation that comes from those struggles

  Irish TImes

• Engrossing . . . Wilkerson’s brilliant descriptions are positively sumptuous for the mind’s eye

  Heromag

• An incredible family saga spanning 60 years, jumping across continents and time, forming a multi-layered book about secrets and inheritance

  Guardian.com

• A delicious and gripping tale that sweeps the reader across decades and continents, turning everything the siblings think they know about themselves and their family on its head’

  Jyoti Patel, Guardian