Queenie

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Reviewed by Linda
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I inhaled this in an afternoon. ⁣
I know I’m not the first or the last person to say this, but the comparisons of Queenie to Bridget Jones are just jarring and misleading because there’s so much more to Queenie than that (not sure who came up with this dead publicity!?). This isn’t a typical white rom-com.⁣
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It’s not plain sailing for millennial Queenie Jenkins, our 25 year-old British Jamaican protagonist who you’ll either love or get agitated by, but she is a product of her circumstances, and I guarantee that you will root for her throughout. Fictional character or not, she represents someone and we’ve all been (or will be) in our 20s once… ⁣
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Following a breakup with awful Tom, Queenie hits rock bottom and stubbornly continues to self-sabotage as she lacks self-worth. This interracial relationship is scarily unhealthy and inherently racist. Carty-Williams packs a lot into Queenie’s character: growing up with instability, getting paid peanuts in an entry-level job whilst trying to live independently in London, mental health issues and disconnecting with toxic people even if they’re family. The dynamic between her friends adds a bit of humour to an otherwise deep read but her mate Cassandra was just horrendous. ⁣
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On Queenie’s self-healing journey, the affirming point for me was her unlearning of the cultural stigma to seek professional help (especially true in BAME communities), and Carty-Williams does well to portray that even her loving grandparents find it hard to understand that therapy is what she needs and not a shameful thing. ⁣
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It’s a grower and with its wit and charm, Queenie is worth every minute of reading. ⁣
I look forward to seeing what’s next from @candicec_w!