Set in present-day California, Black Cake follows siblings Byron and Benny as they grapple with their mother Eleanor Bennett’s death — and the unexpected inheritance she leaves behind: a traditional black cake and a recorded message revealing long-buried family secrets. Eleanor’s story traces a headstrong young swimmer forced to flee her island home under suspicion of murder, uncovering a legacy of love, loss, betrayal, and identity.
As truths emerge, Byron and Benny must confront their family’s past, their strained relationship, and Eleanor’s final request: to share the black cake when the time is right. Black Cake is a deeply evocative novel about inheritance, belonging, and the ties that bind families across generations.
