Candice Carty-Williams

Queenie Jenkins is a Jamaican British woman in her mid-20s, whose break-up with her boyfriend is one of the catalysts for a mental health crisis. Much of Queenie is about how she learns to work through past traumas, realise that she's not okay, and come to a better understanding of herself.

This is Candice Carty-Williams' first book, and it has a lot of the typical problems associated with a debut novel: the character voice is strong but much of the characterisation is sloppy and sometimes show more verges on the cartoonish; Queenie is at times a believably warts-and-all protagonist, but at others she reads more like a 15-year-old than a 25-year-old; the tone and the content sometimes clash. (The marketing for this is fairly inexplicable—this is not a light, Bridget Jones-esque comedy.) That it's a quick and compelling read despite those issues is a testament to Carty-Williams' promise as a writer. I'll keep an eye out for further books by her, even though I didn't really love this one. show less

Twenty-five year old Queenie is on the verge of a nervous breakdown combined with very low self esteem that she attempts healing with casual sex. She is on a 'break' with long time boyfriend, or a 'break-up' as he sees it, and is unfairly fired from her job. Even the tattiest shared accommodation is beyond her means, requiring her to live with her Jamaican grandparents who, like many grandparents, have funny ideas about hot water usage, the internet, and mental health. This novel has been show more called a 'black Bridget Jones' but Carty-Williams' book is so much more and Queenie suffers more than Bridget ever did. The casual and blatant racism she experiences is as damaging as the savage sexual encounters that while heartbreaking have some humorous moments. Moving yet shocking, this is an excellent debut novel set in 21st century mulitcultural London. Queenie will remain in my mind for a long time. I look forward to Carty-Williams' next work. show less

This is a novel that showed up in pretty much every book list in 2019, which meant it ended up on my own list of books-to-look-for, but somehow I never got around to reading it until now. I'm glad I finally took the time to read it. [Queenie] is a young Jamaican-British woman who works for a national newspaper where she is under-valued and has stopped putting her heart into her job. She's also reeling from her partner telling her that he wants a break and that she has to move out. She finds show more a flat-share in a moldy apartment and throws herself into finding validation from men, a terrible idea in the best of circumstances, but the worst men have a talent for finding her and relentlessly harassing her until she gives in and then behaving badly. And then there's the low-key racism (with occasional blatant outbursts) that she deals with on a daily basis.

This might be a grim novel to read, but Queenie has a solid group of friends (some better than others) who support her, and Queenie herself is a determined and remarkably resilient woman, with a good sense of humor. Her family may often frustrate her, but they all are pulling for her. She may be down but she's willing to fight her way forward. Carty-Williams's writing reflected Queenie's voice, sometimes scrappy, sometimes funny, fully rooted in the present. I was won over by this novel, it's one that forced me to feel so much, from rage, to exasperation to hope. show less

Part Sex and the City, part Bridget Jones’ Diary, and yet wholly herself, Queenie Jenkins serves up a heartfelt (if occasionally mortifying) coming of age story that has well earned her a place amongst this generation’s spiraling millennials. We know going into the story that Queenie is going to be a mess; her boyfriend has just kicked her out, her family is full of judgemental drama, her forays into the online dating world are nothing less than epic catastrophes, and to top it all off show more the emotional instability is affecting her work life. And yet, this mess is what makes Queenie so relatable, since we’d be lying if we said that we all haven’t been there, done that. The details may differ, but we’ve all been through the quarter-life crisis breakdowns that necessitate picking ourselves up and starting all over again. Throughout the novel we cringe at Queenie’s mistakes, knowing that things are likely going to get worse, but by the time we reach her triumphant finale we can’t help but cheer alongside her. And yet, like real life, we know that Queenie still has plenty of challenges ahead of her, and it is this realistic (rather than fairytale) ending that really makes this novel work. show less