We meet Queenie – journalist, catastrophist, expressive, aggressive, loved, lonely, Enough?
Queenie – the blurb
“Queenie Jenkins can’t cut a break. Well, apart from the one from her long term boyfriend, Tom. That’s definitely just a break though. Definitely not a break up. Then there’s her boss who doesn’t seem to see her and her Caribbean family who don’t seem to listen (if it’s not Jesus or water rates, they’re not interested). She’s trying to fit in two worlds that don’t really understand her. It’s no wonder she’s struggling.
She was named to be queen of everything. So why is she finding it so hard to rule her own life?”
Queen of the British Book Awards
Queenie has been on my radar for a while. It’s very striking cover first caught my eye in an art gallery before an audio version caught my….ear on the BBC Sounds App. It wasn’t until Queenie was awarded Book of the Year at the British Book Awards that I finally bought the book and shoved it on the top of my TBR pile.
The book centres around 25 year old Queenie Jenkins, a black woman living in Brixton who we first meet with her legs in stirrups. The rather startling opening carries on to reveal an outwardly confident, inwardly broken woman whose exterior crumbles quite dramatically when her boyfriend breaks up with her.
Total scumbags
Carty-Williams delivers a very modern, authentic feeling book that accessibly tackles race and gender. It’s no Bridget Jones and not all the pieces get put back together again. There is sex, a lot of it, humor and also deep sadness. I found the Tom sections particularly moving. The men by the way all come across as total scumbags. There were also some unique insights in to black culture – for those wishing to read more about the Black Lives Matter movement without going all non fiction you could do far worse starting with this.
Likeable?
I’ve heard it mentioned that the white characters in Queenie do not come across very well. It feels fair to address this given I am white and have read the book. The men don’t for sure (see above scumbag comment) but Darcy is probably one of the most likeable characters in the book. Queenie is not anti white but it’s quite anti men. Another issue is how self absorbed Queenie is, to the point she is not very likeable. It’s true, she makes terrible decision after terrible decision and at times it’s difficult to see why she is considered such a good friend but she is going through hell – who isn’t self absorbed, self pitying or at their best self when going through all that?
Whether you want to read a piece of fiction that highlights race/gender issues, appreciate a read that breaks someone down then builds them back up again or just want a strong piece of millennial fiction Queenie has it, flaws an all.
