I live for family dramas where secrets are gradually revealed and Black Cake definitely delivered on the secrets and drama. Obviously, I've seen loads of glowing reviews of this one, so I was hoping it would live up to the hype and it definitely did.

Eleanor's story is so twisty and so much happens to her prior to starting her family that it maybe defies believability, but Wilkerson presents it so well that I absolutely did not care if it was a little much. Similarly, I predicted just about every "twist" that we encountered in the story, but that felt intentional to me. We, the readers can see where this story is going, but B and B, blinded by the family history they thought they knew, do not. This book is as much a story about their coming to terms with their mother's history as it is about her story. 

The emotions Wilkerson's characters feel jump off the page. I felt how trapped Covey was on the island and how free she felt swimming. I felt Byron's indignant frustration about racism in his workplace and every time he's pulled over by police. Most of all, I felt Benny's bewilderment and anger about her estrangement from her family (team Benny in this conflict, btw). This is a book that packs an emotional punch and is a compelling page-turner throughout. I loved it.

CW: death of a parent, cancer, biphobia, racism, forced adoption, sexual assault, domestic violence, physical assault, murder, railway accident, hospitalization/medical content