Richland Library North Main
International Book Group
Thursday, May 16, 2024 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Join us for a book group discussion of this month’s title, Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson. For more information or to arrange to pick up a book call Zsuzsa Czakone at 803-754-7734.
We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves.
Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?
Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.
International Book Group meets the third Thursday of every month from 6:30 - 7:30 at Richland Library North Main. This is a hybrid event and will be available in person or on zoom.
For your safety and ours, please stay home if you have COVID-19, if you have symptoms of COVID-19, if you are waiting for COVID-19 test results, or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Registration Information:
- This event is held via Zoom.
- Click the registration button below to register.
- The Zoom event link will be e-mailed to registrants the day of the event. If you don't have a Richland Library card, click here to get a card or register as a guest. A valid e-mail address is required to attend.