Maame

 

Maame by Jessica George

Fiction

2023 St. Martin's Press

Finished on May 2, 2023

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.

It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.

When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie leaps at the chance to get out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But it's not long before tragedy strikes, forcing Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils—and rewards—of putting her heart on the line.

Smart, funny, and deeply affecting, Jessica George's Maame deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship. Most important, it explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures―and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong.

I fell in love with Maame and wanted to reach through the pages and give Maddie a big hug and tell her it gets better. While her mother is busy living her own life in Ghana, and her older brother James has no time for family obligations, twenty-five-year-old Maddie is left alone to care for her ailing father who suffers from Parkinson's disease. Struggling with self-esteem issues, first dates as an adult, moving out of her family home and learning how to live with flatmates, as well as trying to establish herself as a valuable employee in the world of publishing, Maddie is overwhelmed with life. Fortunately, she has two friends whom she can lean on and who help her work through the challenges of life as a young adult. And, when all else fails, she relies on Google searches to fill in the gaps: How to prepare for a first date? Jobs with the happiest employees? What do you do when you've been fired? Back pain in mid-twenties? Why can't I sleep? Can you get pregnant if you're on the pill? Stages of grief?

On Love: 

"Many assume love is straightforward," Angelina continues, "when really it is the most complicated of things. There is a right way, a preferred way, for each individual, to love and be loved by someone--but there isn't only one way. I believe the difficulty of life has much to do with understanding and then navigating how the people you love both express and receive love themselves. It cannot be your responsibility, your burden, to reshape people into someone you'd like them to be. Ultimately, you must either accept a person for who they are, how they behave, how they express themselves emotionally, and find a healthy way to live with them, or let them go entirely. Either way, you must release yourself from that responsibility."

Maame is a wise and powerful story about family dynamics and first loves. It's an examination on grief, as well as finding a career that provides more than just a paycheck. Though at times heartbreaking, I enjoyed watching Maddie navigate her way through life's disappointments, as well as the joys, often laughing at her naive inner conversations as she learns how to stand up for herself.

Jessica George has penned a delightful story; I would have never guessed this is a debut novel! Highly recommend.