I LOVED this book!! This DEBUT novel from Wilkerson just blew me away!!

Let me just start by telling you my mindset before picking this up. My hold came in for this from the library right after reading ACOTAR and I’m not gonna lie, I was hesitant. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make the drastic shift from a fantasy romance to historical fiction. But, boy, I was so glad I decided to go for it!

I recommend this for anyone in a reading rut or suffering from a book hangover. It is such a fast, compelling read that had me hooked early on with its unique structure and succinct, beautiful prose.

The chapters—if you even call them that—are no more than 2-3 pages (most just a page-and-a-half) and switch perspectives between all of the characters and past and present timelines making it compulsively readable. I loved how the story was like peeling back an onion, revealing Covey’s story bit by bit alongside the present-day lives of her children and their reaction to learning about her past.

The ending was so beautiful and emotional. Did I cry? Oh yeah. I’m still feeling a bit emotional while writing this.

Author Dawnie Walton described the characters as “so real you want to scream at them one moment and hug them the next.” I couldn’t agree more, and that’s what I loved about this story. It depicts the messiness of life and family, and the consequences of unsaid things out of fear or stubbornness.

I loved the depiction of culture and the role of food (in this story, the Black Cake) in preserving a sense of home, and the environmental angle in relation to the importance of the oceans and how these things linked Covey’s history and family together.

Needless to say, this book was a top read for me. I do advise going in blind; don’t read the summary! I didn’t, and it was so much better that way!!