Good Dirt

Charmaine Wilkerson transports you across the decades and the globe accompanied by complex, wonderfully drawn characters.

Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of <i> Carrie Soto is Back </i>

Charmaine's writing is subtle and lyrical

Beth Morrey, bestselling author of <i> Saving Missy Carmichael </i>

Unputdownable. Astonishing. Twists and turns so shocking they will leave your head spinning and your heart aching

Grazia on Black Cake

An extremely assured debut which pulls in threads and echoes from across the Caribbean diaspora to deliver a rich, complex and really satisfying novel

Alison Finch, BBC Radio 4 on Black Cake

Black Cake explores the ways we use meals not just to nourish ourselves but to help tell unspeakable stories . . . A roiling soup of family secrets, big lies, great loves, bright colours and strong smells

New York Times on Black Cake

I loved the brilliant writing, the characters and the clever and beautiful way the story melded together. A stunning book

Prima on Black Cake

A remarkable exploration of family bonds, grief, heartbreak, friendship, and the deep scars of slavery and racism... Wilkerson’s prose is succinct yet richly evocative, masterfully delving into the minds and motivations of her characters and delivering a narrative that lingers long after the final page... This novel solidifies Wilkerson's place as one of the great multi-generational storytellers of our time.

Abi Daré, bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice

Good Dirt is a mystery that weaves together multi-generational strands of past and present trauma, from West Africa to Long Island Sound, from the 1800s to the present. Written in glittering and discerning prose, poignant yet hopeful, Good Dirt is a masterful character study exploring the stories we inherit and how the past informs the present. I loved it. Brava, Charmaine.

Nikki May, author of Wahala and This Motherless Land

Stunning. For readers of Brit Bennett and Celeste Ng, Charmaine Wilkerson’s powerful exploration of loss, enslavement, freedom, and the complexities of not only America’s history but America’s present is heartbreaking and tender and so wise. GOOD DIRT is exquisitely crafted with passages that are poignant, yet full of hope. I LOVED this story and the many characters that peopled it. Book clubs are going to go wild!

Charlene Carr, author of Hold My Girl and We Rip The World Apart

PRAISE FOR CHARMAINE WILKERSON

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A beautiful and intertwining novel that will capture your heart. With a family heirloom at the heart of the story, it has rich characters and a powerfully complex tale spanning through generations.

Sophia Spiers, author of The Family Home

Wilkerson has done it again! This immersive, triumphant, important tale of our roots, our history, and the pain we carry with us absolutely took my breath away.

Ishi Robinson