Black Gold
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Pub Date 4 Feb 2027 | Archive Date 10 Dec 2026
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Description
A tale of glamour, seduction and the true cost of freedom.
'A remarkable, penetrating novel.' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS, author of Queenie
Born into a Maroon community in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, Faye has always dreamed of a life beyond Cherry Village and her family’s coffee farm. When her mother falls ill and their ancestral land is sold, she fears her future has been decided for her. Then a chance encounter with a modelling scout offers her a way out.
Swept into the dazzling, ruthless world of international fashion, Faye she discovers luxury, love and the intoxicating freedom to pursue her ambitions—and to embrace her sexuality on her own terms. But as her fame grows, so does the distance between Faye and the home she left behind. The more she enters this new world, the more she begins to question who she is – and where she belongs.
But one day, Faye will have to return to the past she has tried to escape—and confront the truth about who she is, where she comes from, and what she is willing to sacrifice to be free.
Rich with Jamaican folklore, history and the spirit of the Blue Mountains, Black Gold is a vivid and deeply moving novel about identity, inheritance, desire and the complicated price of freedom, from the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of Patsy and Here Comes the Sun.
Advance Praise
'An unsurprisingly remarkable, penetrating novel full of a deep yearning for love and life from a writer who is always so meticulous in creating complex emotional worlds and suitably challenged characters within them. Nicole Dennis-Benn is a master of her craft.' Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie
'Jamaican history... the contemporary fashion industry, and the complications of family, romance, and love. Every step of the way is captivating.' Imani Perry, author of South to America
'A wholly enthralling read you can’t help but love.' Jonathan Escoffery, author of If I Survive You
'An incredible story of the difficulty and beauty that comes with becoming one’s self... In this epic, Dennis-Benn reminds us of the forces that shape our lives and the legacies we leave in our wake.' Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, bestselling author of Chain-Gang All-Stars
'Black Gold is a book I’ve been waiting to read all my life. Nicole Dennis-Benn weaves a masterful story of Jamaican women in all their profound beauty and complexity, asking us what is the weight of inheritance, what riches are rooted in family and in our homeland, and what does its legacy ask of us? This book is a necessary addition to the pantheon of Jamaican literature.' Safiya Sinclair, bestselling author of How to Say Babylon
'In Faye’s explorations and journeys, through the many worlds she occupies, Dennis-Benn once again elevates the language we hold for love, loss, and living. A deeply moving narrative—expansive in its scope, warm and true—Dennis-Benn’s Black Gold is absolutely marvelous.' Bryan Washington, author of Palaver
'A poetic, multilayered tale of a young woman’s quest for agency over her identity, her body, and her family’s ancestral territory... Set between the legendary coffee farms of Jamaica’s Blue Mountains and the glittering salons of the international fashion world, Black Gold explores themes of womanhood, ambition, survival, and community.' Charmaine Wilkerson, bestselling author of Good Dirt and Black Cake
'Nicole Dennis-Benn writes from a deep place—a place of memory, history, and the unbreakable ties to the land of our ancestors. I will not easily forget the women of Black Gold, especially Faye, whose journey around the world captivated me until the very last page.' Dolen Perkins-Valdez, bestselling author of Take My Hand
'Black Gold is a testament to the power of a dream, even one with its own deceptions, and the lengths we must go to in order to maintain our history and families. This is truly a brilliantly crafted narrative of fantasies, realities, and all their blurry in-betweens.' Leila Mottley, bestselling author of Nightcrawling
'I could not put this book down, and I will never forget Faye’s quest for agency, liberation, and self-possession.' Qian Julie Wang, bestselling author of Beautiful Country
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9780861547043 |
| PRICE | £16.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 336 |