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A review by thenovelsphere
Maame by Jessica George
5.0
Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC!
Maame navigates friendships, dating, relationships, family secrets/issues, mental illness and being a carer through the eyes of a 25-year-old first-generation Ghanaian woman living in London and wow. I absolutely loved reading it.
Maame navigates friendships, dating, relationships, family secrets/issues, mental illness and being a carer through the eyes of a 25-year-old first-generation Ghanaian woman living in London and wow. I absolutely loved reading it.
Maame follows the life of Maddie, a firstborn and first-generation Ghanaian daughter living in London. She's 25 years old and is a carer for her father who has Parkinson's. After realising her obligation to fulfil the role of Maame (a woman) since she was young, she decides to start living the life she wants. Maddie experiences moving out for the first time, having flatmates, dating, new friendships, and relationships.
Maddie's journey is compelling, and you can't help but root for her. As Maame is written from Maddie's perspective, we see her going through all the motions and trying to figure out life. I love how relatable Maddie's journey is too. From microaggressions at the workplace to dating as a Black woman and having flatmates that you initially thought would be your friends for life, Maddie's story truly reflects the experiences of many firstborn and first-generation African British daughters.
While reading Maddie's journey, there were so many situations where I just thought "when will she get a break?" She's working at a job where she gets treated awfully, she is a carer for her dad, she has a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana and expects Maddie to deal with all the family financial issues and a brother who lives in the same city but doesn't reach out to help her. Maddie's family dynamics definitely hit close to home at some points and I could totally relate to how she was feeling. Because she feels like she needs to uphold the role of Maame for her family, she acts as if everything is fine despite the negative consequences to her mental health.
Maddie does come across as too naive at times, but I think her naivety comes from her barely having a social life, being raised religious and being told by her mother to keep family business and issues within the family. She Googles everything whenever something is pressing on her mind and her internal monologue genuinely made me laugh at times.
Although Maddie goes through some ups and way more downs, I love the relationship she was with her closest friends, especially Xu. Xu reminds me of those friends who you grew up with but have no idea about their personal life and vice versa. Despite Xu not knowing anything about Maddie's family issues and always being busy, she is still there for Maddie which I think is very sweet.
Overall, Maame is an impressive debut by Jessica George and a coming-of-age story that I know many people, especially firstborn and first-generation African British daughters, can relate to.
Overall, Maame is an impressive debut by Jessica George and a coming-of-age story that I know many people, especially firstborn and first-generation African British daughters, can relate to.