Queenie

Carty-Williams tells a very clever and witty story of Queenie’s struggles navigating life as a young black woman in South East London, right where I grew up. I can relate to her work life, friendships, and love life so much it’s unreal. Whilst reading this book I could really feel myself within the plot as I’ve walked on some of the streets she talks about, been to places she talks about and of course, we all have a past and a story about our childhoods that make us who we are today, especially when they have been challenging. 

On top of all the other great things about this book, Queenie is a truly tremendous portrait of life in one’s mid-twenties. All of the rawness, the humor, the difficulty, and the triumphs of a time when the stakes of everything seem so big and so small come across here. And like all those great novels named after their protagonist, the central character deserves every bit of attention that the narrator and other characters give her, and the book deserves all the praise critics have given it.

For so long, Black women have been portrayed as the strong archetype, and so, it was refreshing to dive into the world of Queenie Jenkins – a young, British Jamaican woman who doesn’t quite have her career and love life together. This book is a strong reminder that sometimes it’s okay not to be okay, while also emphasising the importance of reaching out for help, and is told with such heart and realness. Thanks to Carty-William’s sharp, acerbic humour and insanely vivid descriptions of Brixton, Queenie is one of those books that will stay with me for decades.