Black Gold

From the author of Patsy

Published by Oneworld Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

'Nicole Dennis-Benn is a treasure' Nikesh Shukla, author of The One Who Wrote Destiny

Born into a Maroon community in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, Faye has always longed for a life beyond Cherry Village and the family coffee farm. When her mother falls ill and their ancestral land is sold, Faye fears her future has been decided for her – until a chance meeting with a modelling scout changes everything.

Swept into the dazzling, cutthroat world of international fashion, Faye discovers luxury and love, personal ambition, and the freedom to express her true sexuality. As her fame begins to grow, Faye finds herself being pulled further from her home, from everything she thought she understood about herself. One day she knows she will have to confront the truth about who she really is and where she came from.

Rich with Jamaican folklore and history, Black Gold is a powerful, vivid novel about identity, inheritance, and the true cost of freedom from the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of Patsy and Here Comes the Sun.

About The Author

Nicole Dennis-Benn has received fellowships from Hedgebrook, MacDowell, Lambda and the Sewanee Writers Conference. Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, she lives with her wife in Brooklyn, New York, where she teaches writing. In 2018, she was named as an NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Fiction, awarded by the New York Foundation for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. Here Comes the Sun is her first novel. It won the Lambda Literary Award, and was a finalist for the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award and the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize.

www.nicoledennisbenn.com

Product Details

  • Publisher: Oneworld Publications (February 4, 2027)
  • Length: 336 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780861547050

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

'With exquisite storytelling and vivid, lush descriptions, Nicole Dennis-Benn’s Black Gold takes readers through Jamaican history, the land and labor coffee growers, the contemporary fashion industry, and the complications of family, romance, and love. Every step of the way is captivating.' Imani Perry, National Book Award–winning author of South to America

'Sexy and entrancing... In this mesmerizing tale, glamour, seduction, and the quest for self-actualization whisk readers from the coffee fields of Jamaica to the sensuous fashion houses of Paris, and beyond... A wholly enthralling read you can’t help but love.' Jonathan Escoffery, Booker Prize finalist and bestselling 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

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Nicole Dennis-Benn

BACK TO TOP