Queenie Jenkins is a one-of-a-kind, yet highly relatable character. A 25-year-old Jamaican British woman, Queenie finds herself in the midst of turmoil from the very first page. Her primary crisis: breaking up with her white boyfriend, Tom. Although they have been together for years, Queenie has struggled to fully allow Tom in (the result of deeply personal issues that she has yet to work through) and he is exhausted with the effort required to maintain their relationship. As they separate for what Queenie thinks will be a brief break to resolve their issues, she misses Tom greatly and expects for them to come back together stronger than ever. She also, however, happens to have some difficulty staying out of bed with other men in the meantime.
Queenie is a novel that presents weighty subject matter with a deft sense of humour and lightness that is akin to how many of us struggle through the pain in our lives. While the plot begins by focusing on the break-up of Queenie’s relationship, the novel branches out to touch on a myriad of even larger themes. At the forefront, Carty-Williams explores issues of race, gender, and culture, as well as how these issues affect intimate relationships. Queenie faces what she terms “casual family racism” in nearly every interaction with Tom’s family. And, sadly, she rationalises away some of this racism in order to continue forward in that relationship.
Through Queenie’s interesting (and admittedly frustrating at times!) adventures with men, Carty-Williams explores sexual power, and the lack thereof, in a way that is not often confronted so candidly. True-to-life for so many women, Queenie is also supported by those around her and this novel does a beautiful job of portraying the importance of family bonds as well as the power of female friendships. And in the darker moments, Carty-Williams takes on the hefty issues of abusive relationships and mental health.
Queenie is an engaging story from the very first chapter. Right from the start I was laughing out loud and feeling Queenie’s deep sadness all at once. The reader is dropped down right in the middle of her life in such a realistic way. The unique structure, which includes texts and emails, makes the novel feel very current and relevant. Carty-Williams also cleverly juxtaposes Queenie’s relationship beginning to unravel with flashbacks to happier times of how the relationship began, giving the reader a tangible sense of the mixed emotions that she must be feeling.
Although I may not appear to be anything like Queenie on the surface, I identified with many of her struggles – in particular her insecurity, her fear of speaking up, and her search to find her place in both her personal and professional life. Carty-Williams does a lovely job in this novel of displaying how one navigates and works to establish their identity. In a true-to-life fashion she demonstrates how the lens through which you view yourself can impact how you allow yourself to be treated by others. There is a universal appeal in these concepts and themes that is ultimately what I believe makes this novel so engaging and relatable. Overall, this was an entertaining and thought-provoking read that I definitely recommend.
Queenie is Candice Carty-Williams’ first novel and she currently works as a senior marketing executive at Vintage Books. She has contributed pieces with similar themes of race, sex, and identity to numerous magazines. In 2016, she created the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, focused on recognizing underrepresented writers.
My sincere thanks to BookishFirst, Gallery/Scout Press, and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this advance copy. All opinions here are my own.
Queenie is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah in this disarmingly honest, boldly political, and truly inclusive novel that will speak to anyone who has gone looking for love and found something very different in its place.
Queenie Jenkins is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herself to her white middle class peers. After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places…including several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a bad job of affirming self-worth.
As Queenie careens from one questionable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, “What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be?”—all of the questions today’s woman must face in a world trying to answer them for her.
With “fresh and honest” (Jojo Moyes) prose, Queenie is a remarkably relatable exploration of what it means to be a modern woman searching for meaning in today’s world.
Sounds like a fantastic roller coaster.