fiction
Byron and Benny, siblings who haven’t seen each other in 8
years, are forced to get together when their mother, Eleanor, dies. She has left them an
audio message to be heard together with her lawyer upon her death. The recording reveals the story of her youth
of which the children had been previously unaware.
The novel jumped between timelines in the past and the
present. The more their mother explained
about her past, the more her children realized they did not know the truth
about her past at all. I found Eleanor’s
story fascinating. The difficulties of
her life were not unique to her, sadly, but her perseverance was inspirational
and her particular twists and turns kept things interesting. The Black Cake of
the title refers to the family tradition of celebrations with the recipe handed
down through the generations.
Charmaine Wilkerson’s storytelling was on point for this
family drama where the family’s biggest problems were centered around a lack of
communication. The characters are all easy to understand and, while some of
them acted stupidly, we all know people who hide pieces of themselves if they
don’t feel secure and supported. I thought Wilkerson’s graceful handling of
difficult topics like racism, rape, slavery, the environment, unwed motherhood,
adoption, “other”ism, gender identity, sexuality, desperation, and poverty kept
the book from being too heavy. At the same time, topics like family, tradition,
and love are emphasized. I particularly liked the way Wilkerson gave closure to
more pieces of Eleanor’s story than I thought she would. I was basically swept
into the lives of these people and that is why I’m rating it so high. I wanted
to know how things turned out. It ended leaving me with a good feeling.
The novel was narrated by two narrators and, I have to be
honest, I really didn’t realize this for most of the novel. I still can’t quite
figure out exactly when one of them spoke vs. the other. Lynette R. Freeman and
Simone McIntyre both had good vocal repertoires. I think this is why I wasn’t
sure when one or the other was speaking. Their voices just aren’t that
different sounding. I think maybe
Freeman read Eleanor’s history while McIntyre read the more current storyline?
So I don’t agree with the usage of two narrators. Either one would have been fine, in my
opinion. At least one of them didn’t have the best European accents but they
did try. They both did a great job with their vocal acting. I’ll give the
production an A-.
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