Charmaine Wilkerson is an American writer who has lived in Jamaica and is now based in Italy. A graduate of Barnard College and Stanford University, she is a former journalist whose award-winning short stories have appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Black Cake is her first novel.
Every Story Is a Love Story (2026) Imbolo Mbue "A book of heartwrenching what ifs that will keep you guessing and thinking about loss, forgiveness, family and, yes, love."
The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman (2026) Deesha Philyaw "Fasten your seatbelt, a megachurch pastor's wife is about to take you on a funny yet sobering literary exploration of aspiration, double-standards, shame, heartbreak and healing. Deesha Philyaw has a way with dialogue and desire on the page and her talents are on full display here as she mines the often murky territory between public image and private accountability."
Elizabeth and Marilyn (2026) Julie Owen Moylan "A vibrant imagining of the inner lives of two iconic women in the year of their storied encounter . . . Thoroughly enjoyable."
Love By the Book (2026) Jessica George "Love by the Book reads like a rom com for platonic friendship. After Maame, Jessica George brings us another fresh look at young women's lives. Love by the Book offers a charming and nuanced take on contemporary friendships, putting the spotlight on the value of different kinds of love in people's lives. A celebration of women's friendships and families, in various configurations."
Fireflies in Winter (2026) Eleanor Shearer "Captivating. Eleanor Shearer returns with a memorable tale of two young women yearning for home and love. I was drawn to the historical setting not typically seen in fiction - the lives of eighteenth-century Jamaican Maroons, removed to Canada, free on paper, yet still at risk."
Paper Cut (2026) Rachel Taff "A twisty, coming-of-age thriller that will have you thinking about hero worship, the lure of fame, and the search for belonging."
Happy Land (2025) Dolen Perkins-Valdez "What a story! Happy Land is an exhilarating tale of perseverance, identity, and love that echoes across generations. This story of formerly enslaved families in the Blue Ridge Mountains who built a community against all odds will stay with me for a long time."
The Family Recipe (2025) Carolyn Huynh "This story about bickering Vietnamese American siblings and their secretive elders is a funny yet poignant tale of one family's search for belonging and understanding."
The Portrait Artist (2025) Dani Heywood-Lonsdale "Imaginative. The streets, parlours and galleries of London and Oxford come alive in this twisting, Victorian-era drama ... An intriguing exploration of art, ambition, race and women's roles in the Victorian era."
Junie (2025) Erin Crosby-Eckstine "The richly textured prose quickly pulled me into the protagonist's treacherous yet magical world. I was drawn to the story of Junie, an enslaved teenager with a love of books and nature who must navigate difficult truths about her family and friendships in order to survive her times."
The Volcano Daughters (2024) Gina María Balibrera "Stunning: original, magical, brutal, beautiful. A sweeping yet intimate look at love, sisterhood, and resistance in the face of devastation."
The Instrumentalist (2024) Harriet Constable "A fascinating story of music, ambition, and womanhood in eighteenth-century Venice ... In The Instrumentalist, the Venetian Republic is a character in its own right, amid the glory and decadence of its final century."
The World After Alice (2024) Lauren Aliza Green "A page-turner of a family drama. The World After Alice is at turns brutally honest, funny, and deeply empathic."
This Motherless Land (2024) Nikki May "A vibrant coming-of-age story that explores loss, longing, and belonging in a multicultural family. I never stopped believing in the bond between troubled cousins Funke and Liv, despite their cultural differences. This Motherless Land paints a memorable picture of a British-Nigerian girl struggling with loss and identity amid two cultures."
Let Me Liberate You (2024) Andie Davis "Delightful. They say you can't go home again but Let Me Liberate You is an entertaining, brutally honest, and tender look at one woman's attempt to do so. In Let Me Liberate You, Andie Davis delivers social satire in a refreshingly different setting, taking on race, colorism, and class amid gentrification and family drama in Barbados."
Sweetness in the Skin (2024) Ishi Robinson "Ishi Robinson has written a delightful story set in Jamaica, amid heartbreak, hopefulness, and mirth. This tender, humorous, coming-of-age tale celebrates the flavors and language of Jamaica while unveiling the impact of colorism and class divisions on one family. I found myself rooting for clever, vulnerable Pumkin as she reached for her dreams and yearned for acceptance."
All We Were Promised (2024) Ashton Lattimore "A compelling tale of three Black women caught between the promises and threats of a supposedly free, pre-Civil War Philadelphia."
Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge (2024) Lizzie Pook "Yet another page turner from Lizzie Pook. Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge is a captivating historical thriller with an unusual heroine at its heart. I loved this story of two sisters, a heartbreaking mystery, and a life-or-death quest."
The House of Plain Truth (2024) Donna Hemans "Shifting ideas of home, family and culture collide in this evocative tale of memory and reconciliation. The House of Plain Truth meanders through the Jamaican countryside and one family's troubles in a way that feels unique yet universal in its exploration of migration, broken promises and forgiveness."
Under the Tamarind Tree (2023) Nigar Alam "A lush compelling drama... A reminder of how both sweeping historic events and personal secrets can shape lives and continue to reap consequences across the generations."
The List (2023) Yomi Adegoke "The List asks 'what if?' and the answers will surely get people thinking. A vibrantly told exploration of the messy interface between virtual and offline relationships. A page-turning tale!"
Hold My Girl (2023) Charlene Carr "A compelling and thought-provoking read. In Hold My Girl, Charlene Carr dares to ask What if? when there are no easy answers. This is a page-turner of a story that explores motherhood, vulnerability, and colourism in the age of assisted fertility. Congratulations to Charlene on turning a real-life thought into a fictional scenario to such great effect!"
The Bandit Queens (2023) Parini Shroff "The Bandit Queens is an original, memorable, and endearing story. At times deeply serious, then laugh-out-loud funny, Parini Shroff has written a sobering but hopeful exploration of womanhood, social injustices, and second chances."
A Quiet Life (2022) Ethan Joella "A Quiet Life is filled with people I'd like to meet. Ethan Joella's latest novel reminds us that life is made of journeys, not only destinations. Read this one slowly; you'll want to savor the details."
All The Single Ladies (2022) Ronali Collings "It was a joy to read this story of three British Asian women who must navigate difficult relationships, cultural friction, and happy discoveries that will change their lives forever. Collings' wry sense of humour and empathy made Love & Other Dramas all the more satisfying to read."
