On-Your-Own Book Club

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

No meetings, no deadlines, no pressure, just good reading! This month’s title is "Black Cake" by Charmaine Wilkerson.

Enjoy fiction and nonfiction, large print, and audiobooks. This month’s title is "Black Cake" by Charmaine Wilkerson. Author information, questions to ponder, and readalikes are included with each book. Pick up a copy of the book and information sheet at the CAV desk.

In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother's death and her hidden past--a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake.

Charmaine Wilkerson is an American writer who has lived in Jamaica and is based in Italy. A graduate of Barnard College and Stanford University, she is a former journalist whose award-winning short fiction has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. 

"I was instantly taken in by this multigenerational tale of identity, family, and the lifelong push and pull of home. This novel has a tremendous heart at its center, and I felt its beat on every page. What an extraordinary debut." --Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

"Exquisite and expansive, Black Cake took ahold of me from the first page and didn't let go. This is a novel about the formation and reformation of a family, and the many people, places, and events that can shape our inheritances without our knowing. A gripping, poignant debut from an important, new voice." --Naima Coster, New York Times bestselling author of What's Mine and Yours

"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." --Dawnie Walton, author of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

Readalikes include: These Ghosts are Family: a novel by Maisy Card, Olga Dies Dreaming: a novel by Xochitl Gonzalez, and Homegoing: a novel by Yaa Gyasi.

Looking for your next favorite book? Check out our new service, Your Next 5 Reads! Fill out a form and get reading recommendations from our librarians.

Running a book club? Check out our convenient grab-and-go Book Club To Go service for patrons in book clubs. Each BCTG canvas bag contains ten paperback copies of a book, with titles selected specifically for book clubs because of their discussion-provoking settings, plots, and characters. Since most books are reading club editions, patrons can take advantage of the discussion starters to keep their book club meetings lively.

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