Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie is the story of a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living and working in London. After a messy break up from her long-term boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places, including the company of several hazardous men who do nothing for her sense of self-worth. She does this whilst managing her ‘far from nuclear’ family, mental health, trauma, a job at a newspaper surrounded by white middle class microaggression-harbouring colleagues, friendships, singledom and sexuality.
As Queenie navigates her way through all of this, she ponders the questions many young women must face: “What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be?”
Queenie is as funny as it is heart-breaking, you find yourself immediately loving and a caring about the protagonist. She is immediately relatable and compelling in the opening pages of the book – “In the stirrups now. Wish you were here…“ Candice Carty-Williams has created a complex and raw character who helps us explores tough themes and the realities of modern Britain, such as racism (in the workplace, dating and even in medicine), abuse, mental health struggles, family, and friendship. It’s a lot to cover but Carty-Williams manages it without it feeling rushed. The messages she delivers are poignant and personal to her titular character but undoubtedly reflect worldwide issues.
I personally could not put this book down; I bought in straightaway and could not wait to see where Queenie was going next. It is raw, perceptive, honest, and relatable. Queenie makes mistakes and though you hold back a tear and will her to turn around and choose differently, you are rooting for her every step of the way as you know we’ve all made mistakes in our mid-twenties.
Queenie is brilliantly written – I love the use of text and email in the book – you will laugh out loud but then hold your breath at the turn of a page as the story dives into the darker places Carty-Williams does not shy away from. It’s no wonder Queenie has received such applause and acclaim, it is a vivid and important work, a must-read for any 20-something and beyond.
