I was really excited to get stuck into this debut coming of age novel, in which we meet Maddie - a British Ghanaian twenty-five year old grappling with life.
Many reviews describe this book as funny but I think that’s misleading. Right from Chapter One what actually emerged for me was a deep undertone of sadness. With strong themes of caregiving, Parkinson's, mental health, grief, religion, abandonment, race and relationships, this is by no means a light read, it’s an intense exploration of character.
Maddie has a lot on her plate. She is living in South London, caring for her father who has Parkinson’s, trying to find her way in the professional world battling common microagressions, and feeling completely unsupported by her family (namely her mother and brother). She’s immediately conflicted being quite a young twenty-five despite the weight of her responsibilities and the way these had forced her to grow up quickly in other areas of her life. The book is very much about her coming of age but also learning to stand up for herself, and have some agency in her life.
It has taken my a while to unpack my feelings about the experience of reading this book and Maddie as its central character, it’s an uncomfortable and emotional read. I think we the reader are supposed to sympathise with Maddie but feel quite frustrated by some of her actions, as that was the main feeling I had whilst reading it. You might feel she is so passive in some respects but I think this can all be attributed to the struggles she is having with her mental health, and the lack of support from her mother and brother. We get good insight into her emotions and the conflicts that cause her to become so distressed.
These insights were further illustrated through the various uncomfortable relationships explored in the book. Maddie seems so isolated from the rest of her family, and I did wonder where her cousins, church friends or even school friends were?! I will say in terms of friendships I really wanted less of the flatmates, who did not seem to add much to the story. I would instead have preferred more conversations and development of Maddie’s relationships with Sam, Nia and Shu. Her romantic relationships served to convey her naivety and highlight some important learnings about consent and the emotional side of sex, however this needed to be explored in greater detail as it felt as if this aspect of the story stopped and started a little.
The little I know of Ghanian culture gave me a little background to the complex relationship Maddie and her mother have, but it was difficult to sympathise with her or James, who both came across as self-centred, and content for Maddie to carry them, using cultural traditions as a guise. The strength of this feeling is a testament to the way in which the author makes you root for Maddie and want better for her life. It would have been nice to see something positive coveyed about Ghanaian culture though, as the view of it provided is only trending towards the negative.
The shift in plot focus from Maddie beginning to live her life, to Maddie processing a huge and sad life moment meant that some of the other themes were overshadowed (perhaps consciously so in keeping with the emotion)? However, this did leave me feeling that the story ended too soon. There are a few aspects that I would like to have known more about - namely how Maddie continued to work on her mental health, how her romantic relationship continues, what happened to her list, and also with her aim to get published. Maybe there is a sequel in the works?
Overall, this is a harrowing debut with promisep. It was really good at taking the reader on Maddie’s journey, putting you in the emotional ringer with her. Also, in opening up the conversation around mental health in the Black community, and the need to reduce stigma around therapy and seeking professional help. There is room hereto see what happens next for Maddie, so I hope we meet her again.
I look forward to reading more of Jessica George’s work.
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for honest review.
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