To put it simply, this book was a masterpiece. Touching on themes of struggle and sacrifice and family. I loved that the deeper I got into this book, the more secrets were unlocked.
Our story focuses on two fairly main characters, Byron and Benedetta (Benny) Bennett, the brother-sister pair who are forced to come together after not speaking to each other for eight years prior to the death of their mother.
They thought the incident that drove Benny to cut ties with her family was unbearable, that is until they learned about what their mother had to go through to get them where they are today. In her passing, her one wish was that the siblings listen to a recording she left behind for them and when the time was right, to share a black cake she made for them before she passed.
This was such an emotional ride; the grief of siblings losing their parent, the fear of uncovering so many truths while the person they are about is not able to answer any questions and the shock of everything that comes to the surface.
I loved the way this book was written in the third person so it was always clear who, was thinking what, when. I also thoroughly enjoyed how short the chapters were. It made it feel like I was flying through the book much faster than I was.
While this is a bit of a read (over 800 pages) it never felt like it. The story was constantly moving and switching perspectives while giving insight into what each character was thinking. The jumps from past to present were easy to follow and again, gave me just enough crumbs to keep me curious as to what was going to happen next.
Overall, this book was phenomenal. So well written, so gracefully arranged and so beautifully tragic. This book felt so real to me and I know that there are probably hundreds of stories like this in real life. Watching how our characters overcame challenges, pushed themselves to the limits and defied the obstacles stacked against them was inspirational.
I can’t say enough how much I loved this book and I am going to need everyone to read it right now. P.S: if anyone knows how to make black cake and wants to send me the recipe like I wouldn’t be mad…
Book Rating: 5/5
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