Two siblings, Byron and Benny are summoned to a lawyer’s office after their mother, Eleanor Bennett, has died. Eleanor has been harboring secrets from her two now estranged children, and leaves behind a recording for them to hear. In this way, she explains her past and all its secrets, which come as quite a shock to both adult children. Eleanor’s legacy is her famous black cake, which she had learned how to bake as a young person living in Jamaica., and in turn, taught her own daughter, Benny. Can Byron and Benny set aside their resentments and anger at each other and come together as a family after learning the details of their mother’s life? Charmaine Wilkerson has authored a very engaging novel in this debut performance. I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction and of novels that delve into family dynamics.
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