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A review by ooohgoshtara
Maame by Jessica George
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.
A coming of age story featuring twenty something Maame. Her family refers to her as Maame but her name is Maddie. She's the main caretaker for her father who has parkinsons. She's responsible for maining her entire household financially since her mother lives mostly abroad and her older brother is rarely available to help. So they selfishly leave all of the responsibility on Maame. When her mom comes home from living abroad Maame jumps at the chance to move out and have a life of her own free from responsibilities that have been smothering her. This story explores chronic disease, death of a parent, grief, identity, mental health, childhood trauma, etc. I did enjoy some aspects of the novel. I did root for Maame but had a hard time staying connected with her character. I do get that she led a very sheltered life and people deal with trauma in many ways. She had very real responsibility caring for her family and household. But that responsibility also stunted her to the point of being written very unrealistically to me. She becomes even more lost when the responsibility of her father is permanently taken from her. There were a lot of internal monologues paired with the constant consulting of google for very basic information. As a woman in her mid twenties she was written as being very naive more like a YA character. I found her sexual encounters disturbing. I liked that the ending was not perfectly tied up. I was happy that Maame finally started getting professional help from a therapist. She stood up to her family, spoke up for herself at work and finally had a normal dating situation. She was making strides towards becoming Maddie and no longer just Maame. Although I have mixed feelings about this book as a whole I would recommend to a twenty something.
A coming of age story featuring twenty something Maame. Her family refers to her as Maame but her name is Maddie. She's the main caretaker for her father who has parkinsons. She's responsible for maining her entire household financially since her mother lives mostly abroad and her older brother is rarely available to help. So they selfishly leave all of the responsibility on Maame. When her mom comes home from living abroad Maame jumps at the chance to move out and have a life of her own free from responsibilities that have been smothering her. This story explores chronic disease, death of a parent, grief, identity, mental health, childhood trauma, etc. I did enjoy some aspects of the novel. I did root for Maame but had a hard time staying connected with her character. I do get that she led a very sheltered life and people deal with trauma in many ways. She had very real responsibility caring for her family and household. But that responsibility also stunted her to the point of being written very unrealistically to me. She becomes even more lost when the responsibility of her father is permanently taken from her. There were a lot of internal monologues paired with the constant consulting of google for very basic information. As a woman in her mid twenties she was written as being very naive more like a YA character. I found her sexual encounters disturbing. I liked that the ending was not perfectly tied up. I was happy that Maame finally started getting professional help from a therapist. She stood up to her family, spoke up for herself at work and finally had a normal dating situation. She was making strides towards becoming Maddie and no longer just Maame. Although I have mixed feelings about this book as a whole I would recommend to a twenty something.
Content Warnings
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, and Grief