LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE SERIES #57. Black Cake (authored by Charmaine Wilkerson, 2022)

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE

Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.

 

#57. Black Cake (authored by Charmaine Wilkerson)

This novel follows two siblings (Byron and Benny) who have grown apart and are forced to confront their shared past after the death of their mother. As they uncover long-buried secrets, their search for the truth takes them from the Caribbean to London and California, ultimately leading them to a treasured family dessert known as black cake.

This traditional Caribbean black cake prepared from an old family recipe and a recorded message. Through the recording, Eleanor recounts the dramatic story of a determined young swimmer who fled her island home while under suspicion of murder. As her children listen, they uncover painful truths, hidden family secrets, and the mystery surrounding a missing child—discoveries that challenge everything they believed about their family and their own identities.

 

“More than two hundred years would pass before an orphan girl named Elly, raised at a children's home on the site of the former sugar cane plantation, found a dirt-encrusted hair comb in the garden, along with cockle shells from a prehistoric era and one well-fed garden snake, the latter of which she quickly tossed aside.”

ð     This emphasizes concealed history, the persistence of memory, and the enduring effects of colonialism in the Caribbean. By connecting the unrest of the 1960s—during Eleanor’s younger years—to the present day, the passage shows how the past continues to exist just beneath the surface of everyday life. The location symbolizes a layered and complicated history. Once associated with slavery and suffering, the plantation has been transformed into a refuge for children, reflecting both pain and renewal.

The comb seems like a forgotten personal link to the past. It symbolizes the hidden stories and silenced experiences of women such as Covey/Eleanor and others whose lives have often been erased or neglected by history. These shells point to an even older history connected to the island’s earliest inhabitants. Their presence suggests that the era of plantations and colonialism is only one chapter in the land’s much deeper story.

The snake might symbolize the natural world continuing on despite human conflict and suffering. Surrounded by historical remnants, it reflects the indifference of nature to the tragedies and secrets tied to the land. Elly, whose name echoes “Eleanor,” demonstrates a survivor’s mindset.

In short, the passage suggests that history may be hidden or forgotten, but it can never fully disappear. The past remains embedded in the land itself, waiting to resurface. The inheritance connected to this place carries both trauma and resilience, revealing how generations are shaped by buried secrets and historical pain. The rediscovered comb ultimately becomes tied to long-hidden family truths involving lost relatives and concealed treasures, reinforcing the novel’s exploration of memory, identity, and legacy.

 

“Benny studies her mother's face. At some point, her mother met her father. At some point, she fell in love again. At some point, Ma was happy, wasn't she? A person can still be happy after everything that her mother went through, can't they? Benny needs to believe that they can. No, she needs to know for sure. Benny puts the frame back on the nightstand, walks back down the hallway, and goes back into the living room.”

ð  The is the moment that takes place as Benny and Byron listen to the recordings detailing their mother’s hidden past. Through these revelations, they begin to understand that Eleanor’s personality, choices, and parenting were shaped by experiences they never knew about. For Benny especially, the moment represents the beginning of empathy and connection. She starts to recognize the many layers of her mother’s identity—much like the layers of the black cake itself, which symbolizes family history, memory, pain, and resilience woven together over time.

Benny is struggling to accept the harsh realities of her mother’s past. Eleanor, once known as Covey, endured severe hardships, including an arranged marriage, suspicion surrounding a murder, and the need to flee her homeland. These revelations force Benny to reconsider everything she believed about her mother’s life.

Benny begins to shift her perspective. Instead of viewing Eleanor’s life only through the lens of suffering, she recognizes that it also included hope, love, and personal choice. This realization allows Benny to see her mother as a complex individual whose life contained both heartbreak and joy.

 

“Bunny would continue to think of Covey every time she pulled her goggles over her face and set out on a swim. Bunny belonged in the sea, where Covey had first led her. In the sea, despite her fears. Her swim coach had found her a second instructor for the distance swimming and it had been a revelation. Bunny understood, now, what she might be able to accomplish. In the worst hours, she would draw courage from imagining her friend just ahead of her in the water and in time, it would no longer bother her so much that Covey had looked happiest not when she was with Bunny but when she was with Gibbs Grant. In time, it would comfort her, simply, to remember that Covey had once been happy."

ð     Bunny discovers a sense of belonging and freedom through swimming in the sea, a passion first introduced to her by her friend Covey. The ocean becomes a lasting reminder of their bond, and Bunny continues to think about Covey whenever she swims. Although Bunny initially struggled with fear and uncertainty, she gradually improves her swimming abilities with the help of another instructor who teaches her long-distance swimming. This progress helps Bunny recognize her own strength and potential, giving her greater confidence in herself.

During challenging moments, Bunny draws emotional support from the memory of Covey. Imagining Covey swimming ahead of her motivates Bunny to keep going, symbolizing how Covey’s influence continues to guide and inspire her even in absence. Bunny experiences emotional conflict when she realizes that Covey may have been happiest while with Gibbs Grant rather than with her. This realization brings feelings of sadness and jealousy, as Bunny confronts the limits of her connection with Covey. Over time, Bunny begins to let go of her disappointment and instead focuses on the comfort of knowing that Covey experienced genuine happiness. This shift reflects emotional growth and acceptance, allowing Bunny to appreciate Covey’s joy rather than dwell on her own sense of loss.

 

 

** Jean’s Small Thoughts:

May is recognized in the United States as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. This annual celebration acknowledges and honors the rich histories, diverse cultures, and important contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander communities throughout the country. Living as an immigrant in a country with many different racial and ethnic communities makes it difficult not to be aware of one’s own cultural background. In particular, during periods of political tension—such as when government rhetoric appears less welcoming toward people who were born elsewhere—even law-abiding residents can feel heightened self-consciousness and unnecessary anxiety about their place in society.

Reading this novel, I have thought about again how a person’s sense of identity can be shaped by their understanding—or lack of understanding—of their origins. As the characters move between the Caribbean, London, and California, they are forced to confront how family history influences their personal identities and life choices. Just as in this novel, who or which family in the world does not have any untold stories that might have the lasting effect throughout their lives? Eleanor Bennett’s revelations after her death demonstrate how concealed truths can create emotional distance, alter relationships, and eventually lead to deeper understanding and healing.

Black Cake examines the complicated dynamics between parents and children, along with the strained relationship between siblings Benny and Byron. As they uncover their mother’s hidden past, they must also confront their own misunderstandings and emotional wounds. The story highlights the experiences of Caribbean immigrants adapting to life in the United States. It addresses themes of racism, cultural adjustment, displacement, and the determination required to build a future while carrying the weight of past hardships and trauma. The black cake itself serves as a powerful symbol of memory, heritage, and cultural blending. Much like the cake’s rich mixture of ingredients, the family’s history is layered with diverse experiences, hidden stories, pain, and resilience that come together to shape future generations.

I remember my late cousin, Suzie Lee, once sharing the difficulties she experienced with something as simple as kimchi many years ago. After marrying an American man who had never been exposed to Asian cuisine, Suzie found it difficult to continue enjoying the Korean foods she had grown up with, especially staples like kimchi at the family dinner table. One day, she quietly bought a small jar of kimchi from a nearby Asian market. Unfortunately, she accidentally dropped her grocery bag on the tiled kitchen floor, causing the jar to shatter. The kimchi spilled everywhere, and when her husband came out, he complained about what he called the “bad smell.” Suzie later told me how upsetting that moment had been for her. During those difficult times, her Korean friends in the neighborhood became an important source of comfort and emotional support. In many ways, she was fortunate to have friends like Bunny in this novel—people who helped her feel understood, supported, and connected to her cultural identity.

As this novel suggests, although people cannot control the inheritance they receive—whether it involves trauma, secrets, or cultural history—they can decide how those experiences shape the people they become. By facing the truth about the past, we could gain the opportunity to redefine ourselves and our relationships.