Benny’s betrayal by her family, for instance, seems less ruthless when Wilkerson explores the same evening through another pair of eyes.įlitting between multiple perspectives, Wilkerson’s debut revels in reframing and revisiting – as she proves, it is a rare story that doesn’t benefit from being told (at least) twice.īlack Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (Michael Joseph, £14. My mother, who was born and raised in Jamaica in the West Indies, always had a few cakes going. Wilkerson is particularly skilful at portraying her characters’ subjectivity. Charmaine Wilkerson: I associate black cake with Christmas and my mother who’s no longer with us. Just as black cake incorporates rum, fruits and spices from all over the world, yet retains its particular local significance, so the siblings see their heritage reflected in their inheritance. Eleanor held fast to her own mother’s recipe even as she changed continents and identities, and now it will bring her children together – reeling from the revelations of the audio message, Benny and Byron learn to find solace in what they can share.Īs the book explains, “the diaspora of food, just like the diaspora of people, has helped to shape many cultural traditions”. If Bennett blood is eternal, so is the family’s black cake.
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