But during the toasts, Little Man chokes and dies, and Covey disappears. When the wedding day arrives, Pearl poisons the top layer of cake (which the couple brings home) and decorates with lilac flowers (which Covey dislikes) to let her know. Gibbs is leaving to go to school in London and tries to convince Covey to sneak away with him, but Covey tells him she'll figure something else out. Eventually, Little Man's attentions turn to Covey, and Lin's indebtedness to him force him to agree to a marriage between Covey and Little Man, which Covey desperately does not want. Lin's financial troubles prompt him to borrow from 'Little Man' Henry, an unsavory loan shark who is rumored to have once killed a woman who rejected him.

Around that time, however, there is a fire that damages one of Lin's shops. The two are inseparable and make plans to leave the islands together someday. When Covey turns 16, she meets Gibbs Grant, a surfer, and falls in love with him. However, Lin was also a gambler, a habit that damaged the family's finances and eventually drove Mathilda away. Covey's father, Lin, was the son of a Chinese immigrant who ran two small shops on the island. Covey's mother Mathilda ran a bakery with the assistance of her mother's helper, Pearl. Along with her best friend, Bunny, the two were avid swimmers. Mitch, also informs them that they have a half-sister.Īs they listen to the recording, Eleanor launches into the story of Covey, a girl growing up in the Caribbean in the 1950's. Today, the siblings learn that their mother has left them a black cake (a traditional desert originating from the Caribbean Islands) and a recording which their mother, Eleanor, made prior to her death.

Benny attended the funeral, but didn't say anything to Byron or her mother. Their father, Bert Bennett, died a few years after that before Benny could reconcile with them. Benny has been estranged from the family for six years, since Thanksgiving 2010 when she came out as bisexual to her family. In Part I, Byron and Benny Bennett are two estranged adult siblings who reunite at their mother lawyer's office for the reading of their mother's will after her death from an illness.

Black cake book cover