Jennie Jacques Instagram – 💥 #blackcake “A symbol of joy and togetherness; a vibrant, delectable part of Caribbean culture.” * Loved the 📺 & 📖 just as much ❤️ Complex storyline BUT executed v.well. Coventina (also later known as Eleanor) is our resilient 💪 protagonist & she’s actually dead. Yep. You read that correctly. Moreover, plot twist – she has “died” more than once… Set between Jamaica 🇯🇲 (unnamed Caribbean island 🏝️ ) England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Italy 🇮🇹 & Florida 🌺 – I had a mini virtual holiday. What’s not to love? At the ♥️ it’s about identity & excavating the past #familysecrets but def not ya average family drama 🎭 A bounteous narrative hopping from one gen to the next & one country to another 🌍 with a murder mystery rotting back on the island 🏝️ Before Covy dies (properly… like for the final time… 😂 cos death is final, right?) she makes a tape for her kids… her daughter (Benny) & son (Byron) aka B&B… siblings who’ve become estranged are brought together… We all get booted head first into a rocky ocean 🌊 – drown, swim 🏊‍♀️ backflip (kick & scream?)🐬 😂 Splish splash 💦 The author catches (with profound precision) what it is to be human; the tragedy & the beauty of life 🏄‍♀️ Surfing & swimming are two of the sports highlighted. The latter of which I’m a big fan #swimming #openwaterswimming Abandonment, domestic violence, rape, tradition, migration, estrangement & racism…it’s a rollercoaster of important & intense themes; Environmental awareness, LGBTQ & Black Lives Matter are also firmly planted at its core. Gambling addiction, alcoholism & I loved the powerful sentences swirling through this book 📚 💫 Clever. Very clever. I cannot write a review with out acknowledging the fierce friendship between Covy & her swim pal, Bunny 🐰 A multitude of engaging & interesting characters (Covy’s Chinese father Lin the gambler, Little Man the gangster & Pearl the kind-hearted surrogate Mother, just to name a few) WATCH it & READ it & BAKE @bake4mecfs * #bookrecommendations #baking