In 'Queenie' by Candice Carty-Williams, we meet Queenie Jenkins, a young Jamaican-British woman navigating the tumultuous waters of life in London. After a painful breakup, she grapples with identity, mental health, and the pressures of societal expectations, all while seeking love and belonging in a chaotic world. As Queenie embarks on a journey of self-discovery, she confronts her past and challenges the racial and cultural dynamics that shape her experiences. This poignant and relatable tale candidly explores themes of resilience, friendship, and the quest for one's place in the world. Will Queenie find her voice amidst the noise, or will she lose herself in the process?
By Candice Carty-Williams
Published: 2019
""You have to own your story, even the messy parts, because that’s where the truth lies and the beauty begins.""
ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR ONE OF NPR’S BEST BOOKS OF 2019 NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2019 BY WOMAN’S DAY, NEWSDAY, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, BUSTLE, AND BOOK RIOT! “[B]rilliant, timely, funny, heartbreaking.” —Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah in this disarmingly honest, boldly political, and truly inclusive novel that will speak to anyone who has gone looking for love and found something very different in its place. Queenie Jenkins is a twenty-five-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herself to her white middle class peers. After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places…including several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a bad job of affirming self-worth. As Queenie careens from one questionable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, “What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be?”—all of the questions today’s woman must face in a world trying to answer them for her. With “fresh and honest” (Jojo Moyes) prose, Queenie is a remarkably relatable exploration of what it means to be a modern woman searching for meaning in today’s world.
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“"You have to own your story, even the messy parts, because that’s where the truth lies and the beauty begins."”
Queenie
By Candice Carty-Williams
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Candice Carty-Williams is a British author, best known for her award-winning debut novel, "Queenie," which explores themes of race, identity, and mental health through the lens of a young Black woman living in London. Her writing is characterized by its sharp wit, compelling narratives, and a keen insight into contemporary issues facing marginalized communities. Carty-Williams has garnered critical acclaim for her ability to blend humor with poignant social commentary, making her a prominent voice in modern literature. In addition to her novel, she has contributed to various anthologies and magazines, further showcasing her versatility as a writer.
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