We all have those books we pick up when we see a preview for a tv series or a movie being made based on them. Mainly because we know it is always a promising idea to read the book before seeing the movies or series on screen. Still, I wasn’t sure what I was walking into as I opened the pages of Charmaine Wilkerson’s Black Cake. Yet, I was surprised that even across multiple cultures I found aspects of my own family in Wilkerson’s characters.
I was devouring this book 50 pages at a time minimum every time I opened it. The only reason I didn’t finish it sooner was because of my own bad habit of juggling multiple books at once. Wilkerson creates such an immersive world that even as it bounces around at first, it still immerses you in it as you see it from multiple points of view. While at the same time weaving in issues that affect people of color, as well as those still unsure of their sexuality, without making it stick out. It all flows with the story so smoothly.
There are parts that are hard to read, leaving you feeling for all the characters. At the same time, I found myself finding pieces of my own family in the family as well. Wilkerson amazed me with how she wrote characters that reach across all spectrums to be so easily relatable to so many people. Where a reader can find a trait of a sibling, parent, caregiver, or friend in one of the many characters throughout the novel.
This is one of those books that even if they hadn’t made a streaming series about, I would have been a fool not to pick up. I must give it 5 out of 5 quilled bookmarks. I’m also keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel or a spinoff of some sort. But either way, go out and get a copy of this wonderful novel. It will leave you smiling, laughing, and crying over the journey of its pages.
*Tips his hat, walking out the door in search of his next literary thrill.*
Functionally Fictional 
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