Genre: Fiction
Trope: Coming-of-age
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 1.31.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

Summary:

“It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.

When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie leaps at the chance to get out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But it’s not long before tragedy strikes, forcing Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils—and rewards—of putting her heart on the line.

Smart, funny, and deeply affecting, Jessica George’s Maame deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship. Most important, it explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures―and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong.”

Review:

“Many assume love is straightforward, 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.”

Maame is my most recent #bookstagrammademedoit, and while it took me a bit to get into the story, by page 70, I was invested in Maddie and her story. The whole book felt so relatable. It’s the type of book that I wish I’d had a chance to read during my 20s.

For starters, do not let this stunning bright cover fool you. There is a lot that is packed into this 320-page book. There are underlying themes of grief, managing societal expectations of a woman, racism, parental relationships, complex female friendships, dating, and mental health. While reading the last 30% of Maame, I was a mix of laughter and tears on almost every page. It was a testament to all of the complicated relationships people can identify with during their life.

“A person’s troubles are not measured by the size of those troubles, but by how much they weigh on the individual carrying them.”

I can’t say that I loved all the characters, mainly because they were unkind to Maddie, but they taught her something important about herself. They taught Maddie what she wasn’t willing to put up with, how to stick up for herself, and what she needed.

🇬🇭 Ghana Culture
👥 Character-driven
🙃 Complicated relationships
🥰 Maddie’s inner dialogue

Maame is a true coming-of-age story that I didn’t want to end. I see why Read with Jenna chose it as her February 2023 pick! I recommend reading Maame if you need a book with a lot of heart.

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BOOK INFO
Format: 320 pages, hardback
Published: January 2023
ISBN: 9781250282521 (ISBN10: 1250282527)