After the death of Eleanor Bennett, her estranged children, Byron and Benny, reunite in California to hear her final recorded message. The narrative travels from 1960s Caribbean island life to modern London and America, revealing Eleanor’s hidden past as a competitive swimmer named Covey who fled a forced marriage and a murder accusation. Central to the mystery is a family recipe for black cake, a traditional rum-soaked fruitcake that serves as the physical vessel for Eleanor’s long-buried secrets, including the existence of a third sibling.
Readers of multi-generational family sagas and historical fiction find here a study of how immigration and silence reshape personal identity. The story appeals to those interested in the Caribbean diaspora and the way cultural traditions evolve across borders. Readers finish the book with a specific understanding of how parental trauma influences adult siblings and an appreciation for the complex history embedded in inherited food traditions.
- Published
- 2022
- Language
- EN
