Maame

LoveReading Says

Growing up, grief, crisis, and reconciliation — Jessica George’s Maame debut is a soul-stirring, heart-healing triumph. Warm, honest, and funny with it, it’s a read-in-one-sitting joy propelled by the unforgettable voice of a young woman who’s finding her way in the world.

Growing-up in London to Ghanaian parents, with her mother largely absent and her brother not pulling his weight, Maame has long borne a great weight of responsibility. In fact, her name means woman, a person “responsible before her time”, and she comes to realise that this name “made me grow up when I should have had more time…It made me responsible and guilty. It made me someone, given the choice, I wouldn’t want to be.”

Now in her twenties, Maame is her father’s primary carer, still a virgin, and unfulfilled by her admin job. As a result, she has something of an alter ego – Maddie. A self-assured young woman who knows what she wants and stands up for herself.

While being unfairly fired leads Maame to land a wished-for publishing job, the culture at her new workplace is homogenous, with the company’s food and drink list mainly comprising books by “white, middle-aged men writing about pies, potatoes and bread.” What’s more, colleagues take credit for her ideas and she’s subjected to racist micro-aggressions.

Compulsive, and brilliantly honest on the complexities of family dynamics, flatmates, friendship, workplace politics, sex, dating and love, Maame is a dazzler. Though her tumultuous story sees her endure some of life’s worst experiences, she emerges with courage and confidence, and her distinctive humour well and truly intact. Magic.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen’s lifelong love of reading and writing began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, and very much wished that witches (and Mrs Pepperpot) were real.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About Maame

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! - A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick - A February 2023 Indie Next Pick"Sparkling." --The New York Times"An utterly charming and deeply moving portrait of the joys--and the guilt--of trying to find your own way in life." --Celeste Ng, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Missing Hearts"Lively, funny, poignant . . . Prepare to fall in love with Maddie. I did!" --Bonnie Garmus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry 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. So when her mum returns from her latest trip, Maddie seizes the chance to move 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 when tragedy strikes, Maddie is forced to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils--and rewards--of putting her heart on the line. Smart, funny, and 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. "Meeting Maame feels like falling in love for the first time: warm, awkward, joyous, a little bit heartbreaking and, most of all, unforgettable." --Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming

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