Book Review: Maame by Jessica George

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“We grow up fast. Not by force, but because we are needed.”

Families can be complicated. Twenty-five-year-old Madeleine "Maddie" Wright’s family is no different and Maddie is struggling. Her life is far from ideal. The daughter of Ghanaian immigrants settled in London, Maddie, working a dead-end administrative job is responsible for the care of her father, whose Parkinson's Disease is now at an advanced stage. Her mother who alternates between Ghana and London is constantly critical of Maddie but this does not stop her from guilting Maddie into shouldering the greater part of all financial responsibilities – paying the bills and well as sending money to her in Ghana where she runs a hostel with her brother. Maddie’s brother who lives separately is self-absorbed and never seems to be around when Maddie asks for help.

When Maddie’s mother returns to London for a year, Maddie takes this opportunity to move out of her father’s house, take up residence in a flatshare with two other young women, start a new job in a publishing house (after being unfairly fired from her previous job) and finally live her life. As the narrative progresses we follow Maddie as she navigates her way through professional ups and downs, old and new friendships and romantic relationships. Not all her experiences are pleasant ones. Naïve and inexperienced in the ways of the world, Maddie struggles to strike a balance between the different aspects of her life. When tragedy strikes, Maddie experiences an immense sense of guilt and loss that plunges her into a state of despair. As she tries to come to terms with her loss and move forward, Maddie begins to understand the importance of prioritizing oneself even if it means confronting those who have taken her for granted.

"Maame” has many meanings in Twi, but in my case, it means “woman.”

Maame by Jessica George is a moving and deeply insightful novel. The writing is excellent and the characterizations are superbly done. “Maame” is her mother’s nickname for Maddie – in their native Twi, it means woman; the responsible one. As Maddie reflects on her life she shares how she feels that this nickname has somehow defined her, determined how she is perceived by her family members and has influenced not only how she interacts with others but also how she treats herself.

“It made me grow up when I should have had more time. It made my dad overlook me when I was a child, my mum leave me behind, and my brother get away with doing the bare minimum. It made me lonely and it made me sad. It made me responsible and guilty. It made me someone, if given the choice, I wouldn’t want to be.”

Both inter and intra-role conflict are excellently depicted in Maddie’s story. The author gives us a picture of how culture influences roles and expectations within families and relationships. In Maddie, struggling to find a balance between the Ghanaian family values instilled in her since childhood and her life and aspirations as a Londoner, we find an endearing protagonist who is sweet, smart and lovable and is doing her level best to find her way in the world. Her struggles are real and relatable and her pain and grief are palpable. I found the author's writing on Maddie’s struggles with grief and the discussion on mental health particularly powerful and moving. Maddie’s first-person PoV reels you in and makes you feel like a confidante with whom she is sharing her experiences. I felt invested in her story, grieving with her, feeling her anger ,guilt and pain and celebrating her moments of triumph. Heartbreaking in parts, and hopeful in others, the author tells a beautiful story of love, family, friendships, personal growth and self-acceptance with wit, wisdom and emotional depth. It is hard to believe that this is the author’s debut novel. I look forward to reading more from this talented author in the future.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this beautifully-penned novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on January 2023.

“ 'Many assume love is straightforward,” Angelina continues, “when really it is the most complicated of things. There is a right way, a preferred way, for each individual, to love and be loved by someone—but there isn’t only one way. I believe the difficulty of life has much to do with understanding and then navigating how the people you love both express and receive love themselves. It cannot be your responsibility, your burden, to reshape people into someone you’d like them to be. Ultimately, you must either accept a person for who they are, how they behave, how they express themselves emotionally, and find a healthy way to live with them, or let them go entirely. Either way, you must release yourself from that responsibility.’ ”