Queenie (2019) -Candice Carty-Williams

This book falls into a very specific genre of messy millennial

Content Warnings: sexual violence, infidelity, racism, miscarriage, child abuse

Representation: Black, Jamaican

Favorite Quote: “Being brave isn't the same as being okay.”

Queenie has been adapted into a Hulu original, but you don’t need to watch the show because the reading experience feels just like watching a messy sitcom. This book follows Queenie, a 26-year-old fledgling journalist who is deeply shaken when her long-term boyfriend suggests they take a “break.” This results in the complete deconstruction of Queenie’s sense of self and the pillars of stability in her life.

The primary theme of the book is familial love and friendship as sources of support when other relationships and life pathways fall apart. These support systems have to be accepted, however, as Queenie must learn after disregarding the efforts of her loved ones for so long. They too, are also not without their own faults. Coming from a Jamaican family in London, Queenie’s family have developed fears and attitudes reflective of their societal and historical situations. Additionally, not all of Queenie’s friends’ support is unconditional.

These dynamics feel realistic but don’t foster much investment from readers. Too much of the novel follows the negative aspects of Queenie’s life and decisions that the actual depth of the relationships that the novel attempts to center is missing. This isn’t to say there aren’t good characters, there just isn’t enough of the good characters, and Queenie is not one of them.

Queenie holds problematic and unchecked attitudes towards relationships, herself, and most notably toward Black men. Stemming from her experience with her absent father and her mother’s abusive ex-boyfriend, Queenie openly states that she is unwilling to form meaningful connections to Black men and is not pushed to reexamine this decision as she is with other harmful attitudes she holds.

Queenie certainly is not portrayed as a character that readers should put on a pedestal, but nonetheless, her worldview makes for poor representation. It is telling that the novel centers Queenie, who has said to have been mocked for being “White on the inside,” and dates/befriends almost exclusively White people rather than her best friend Kyazike who is outspoken and encourages Queenie to de-westernize her mind.

As a reading experience, Queenie could be entertaining if you enjoy the sitcom-esque genre, but it lacks anything particularly impactful. If you can get through the first episode of the Queenie Hulu show, maybe you’d enjoy the book, but if the show/book premise doesn’t immediately stand out to you, this may be a book to skip.

3.5⭐️