Hardcover, 400 pages
Published Feb. 1, 2022 by Ballantine Books.
Eleanor Bennett won't let her own death get in the way of the truth. When her estranged children - Byron and Benny - reunite for her funeral, they discover a puzzling inheritance. First, a voice recording in which everything they ever knew about their family is upended. Their mother tells a tumultuous story about a headstrong young woman who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. Second, a traditional Caribbean black cake made from a longstanding family recipe, that Eleanor hopes will heal the wounds of the past. Can Byron and Benny fulfil their mother's final request, to share the black cake at the right time? Or will Eleanor's revelations leave them feeling more lost than ever?
Great story. The flashbacks are a bit jarring, but okay.
I had a problem with the style; it kept pulling me out of the emotional journey. Something like it was dramatic in the wrong places, when the narrative held enough drama itself. (That's a horrible way to put it....you know when the music is wrong for a movie scene and pulls you out of the immersion? Something like that.)
I really enjoyed how thoroughly Eleanor's story is told. People changing names to protect themselves and feeling like they've lost themselves, even more so when the only person who knows the real them passes away. The amount of depth that went into explaining how she got to the point of being Benny and Byron's mother and the child that she had to give up right after giving birth. I was rooting for her through the book.
I felt like the parts with Benny and Byron were not bad, per se, but you didn't get the same feel for their stories or lives because their stories had to be tucked between the main story. You understand what's been going on and where they're at, but it all just felt a little rushed and made them come off as a little immature for me. That's why I'm only giving it 4 stars.
This book was just not for me. I knew pretty quickly I’d have DNFed it if I was reading it on my own. But for book clubs I always finish a book, even if I’m skimming by the end. And I was definitely skimming.
Family dramas rooted in realism are a hard sell for me to start with, but this one had lifetime movie/soap opera energy. Very melodramatic. That can make for a compelling read, so I think I get the high rating here, but it makes me completely disengage. I can’t fall into a story when I feel like it’s ridiculous. It reminded me of The Heart’s Invisible Furies, though at least in that book it feels more intentionally over the top and well structured. With this story, I was getting more frustrated all the time because yet another dramatic thing or crazy coincidence happened.
I also struggled …
This book was just not for me. I knew pretty quickly I’d have DNFed it if I was reading it on my own. But for book clubs I always finish a book, even if I’m skimming by the end. And I was definitely skimming.
Family dramas rooted in realism are a hard sell for me to start with, but this one had lifetime movie/soap opera energy. Very melodramatic. That can make for a compelling read, so I think I get the high rating here, but it makes me completely disengage. I can’t fall into a story when I feel like it’s ridiculous. It reminded me of The Heart’s Invisible Furies, though at least in that book it feels more intentionally over the top and well structured. With this story, I was getting more frustrated all the time because yet another dramatic thing or crazy coincidence happened.
I also struggled with the frame for this story. It’s hard for writers to turn off their writerly voice when someone else is supposed to be speaking. Every time Ella’s recording would be transcribed for us I was like, no. This is not a person who is unwell, struggling to narrate her story to her kids. The same thing happens a lot in stories with letters and journals, and it’s hard for me to get past it. We also got more than she could possibly know in the narrative of her past, so I was like, is she saying this? Is this extra from the author?
Lastly, I’d say the writing style wasn’t for me. Sentimental and flowery without really saying anything.
Unfortunately, not a success for me!
Best worst quote:
“Elly’s breasts were just beginning to bud when she finally realized that she and the shells had been meant to find one another. And this was her first understanding of her destiny.”
(3.5 Star) Pretty good. Now time to write an essay on this that's due tomorrow
A family's secrets through layers of immigration and patriarchy. Appreciated the overlapped generational perspectives and themes of sea and sugar.
3.5 stars, rounding up so I don't hurt the average. I found this book a bit tough to get into – it seemed to skip around a bit so I wasn't always clear on the characters/timeline/whose perspective the story was being told from. As it progressed and I had a better understanding of the landscape (and the characters' various names/nicknames) I was able to enjoy the story more. The main thing I liked about this book was that I don't think I've read anything set in the West Indies before so I found some of the bits I'd never considered (where sugar cane comes from, shipwrecks, slavery, Asian migration to the islands) interesting.
Closer to 4.5 but just shy of 5. Really great book.
At this point I don't remember what prompted me to read this. I think it got a favorable review somewhere and I was looking for books to read during BHM. As for the story itself, there were things I liked and things I didn't. I wished the author had given Covey a better explanation for having to stay hidden/away from the island for so long than just "local thugs." I wish the author had identified the island, but I can understand why she wouldn't have wanted to. I wish someone in any of the reviews I read before starting this had mentioned its written in third person present POV, which was so distracting in the first couple of chapters I thought I wouldn't be able to continue (I noticed my brain eventually made everything past tense anyway).
Other people here have complained about the author trying to pack too many …
At this point I don't remember what prompted me to read this. I think it got a favorable review somewhere and I was looking for books to read during BHM. As for the story itself, there were things I liked and things I didn't. I wished the author had given Covey a better explanation for having to stay hidden/away from the island for so long than just "local thugs." I wish the author had identified the island, but I can understand why she wouldn't have wanted to. I wish someone in any of the reviews I read before starting this had mentioned its written in third person present POV, which was so distracting in the first couple of chapters I thought I wouldn't be able to continue (I noticed my brain eventually made everything past tense anyway).
Other people here have complained about the author trying to pack too many social issues into the plot, which I sort of agree with, but didn't really bother me while I was reading. I didn't really care about the mapping the ocean floor stuff, but I just skimmed that. I felt like the author was aspiring to write "literature" but this is definitely just fiction. I don't think I would read something else by her unless the plot/subject really captured my interest.
Finally finished as I had to put this down sooooo often. Painfully boring it could have been half the size and actually be palatable. Definitely will not read this author again!
Not for me.
