Written by Sophia Staffiero
Reading time: 4 minutes
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams follows the story of Queenie Jenkins, a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London who is navigating her way through a sticky break-up. Told in the first-person narrative, the reader is invited to accompany Queenie through the trials of breaking-up from her long-term white boyfriend, straddling the world of her two cultures, and being gaslighted in her role as a culture editor/writer for a national newspaper. Constantly comparing and being compared to her white middle class peers at work, unsure of where she ‘fits in’ within her multi-cultural experiences, and finding herself entertaining the wrong company during her break-up, Queenie’s journey is one in which she must find both the STRENGTH to re-affirm her own self-worth and BALANCE for the multiple challenges she faces.
Carty-Williams’ Queenie is an atmospheric book. Through her use of place, space, and character building (particularly Kyazike) I found myself undeniably placed in the thick of modern, South-East London. Her use of slang to the very real descriptions of crapped studio flats sets Queenie’s break-up and struggle with mental health in the backdrop of the everyday.
I felt that Queenie could be read and enjoyed on many levels. On the one hand, the spurts of humorous scenes dotted throughout the narrative affords the story to be one of a series of dating mishaps, a commentary perhaps on the current dating climate. On the other, the developing discussion on the theme of mental health which runs parallel to the unfolding narrative is one which is not only topical, but essential. Yet, for a particular demographic of readers, of black women, the seemingly inconsequential anecdotes of a black woman’s ‘awkward’ experience at a sexual health clinic, or ‘disciplinary’ work meeting with her white middle-class boss are not mere fillers for the narration, but in fact enrich the novel with a whole other layer of meaning and significance. As a mixed race (half black, half white) woman, I particularly felt that my dating experiences was in no small way acknowledged and validated through Queenie’s own series of far from decent men. Speaking to a (white) friend who also read the book, it was interesting to see how much I was more fully able to identify with Queenie through our somewhat shared experiences. It is, no doubt, a book which can be read by all, but truly understood and felt by those for whom the book seeks to give voice to their experiences.
I’ll be honest – this book review was written in some what of a writing slump, 1 month and 5 books after I put down my copy of Queenie and as result, I do not feel that I’ve given the book justice with my book review. I would love to hear all your thoughts on the books if you’ve read along with us this month. Our next month’s theme is COURAGE. If you’d like to review a book that explores this theme, please get in touch with us here or via email!
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