A review by satellitesiken
Maame by Jessica George

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Thanks to NetGalley and the Hodder & Stoughton Audio for providing me with an Audio Arc in exchange for an honest review. 

I really enjoyed how emotive and authentic the narration of this audiobook was! Maame is a Jessica George’s debut novel about a young British-Ghanian woman’s search for identity. It’s also about parent-children relationships, familial duty and pressure, culture and the second generation immigrant experience & love and loss and grief and it captures all of those things in such a genuine way. 

The main character felt real, earnest and realistically imperfect. The bildungsroman story perfectly encapsulated how life can feel overwhelming and too big and how you can feel so behind and Other, especially in your mid-twenties and as a black woman in predominantly white spaces, which were all things I could relate to. 

I tend to prefer third person over first person POVs but the use of first person really worked for me with this novel. 

I’m very much looking forward to reading more of Jessica George’s work in the future, she’s definitely one to watch.