I had no idea I would feel so incredibly seen reading Maame. But seen I was and seen you will be, as well.

The novel is about a young twenty-something British Ghanaian woman named Maddie who is overwhelmed with constant responsibility and is in need of a life. Working a dead end job and taking care of her father who is ill with Parkinson’s Disease, Maddie is alone, aggravated, and depressed. Her older brother James, makes every excuse in the book to avoid helping her with their father, while their mother travels to Ghana to take care of the family business, leaving Maddie to do all of the work. It isn’t until her mother returns from Ghana that Maddie decides to break free.

Although this story takes place in the UK, it will be relatable to every daughter who has been responsible for taking care of everything, especially when they don’t want to. On top of that, Maddie’s upbringing, or lack thereof, has made her incredibly naïve to so much, especially dating. Poor thing has no idea what to do and when she moves in with her new flat mates, her naivete is even more obvious. Maddie uses Google to find the answers she needs whenever something comes up, which at times was very funny. But Maddie is also rightfully full of anger and guilt and sadness. Her mental health is on a precipice, which is pushed to the edge when tragedy strikes her family.

I related to Maame so much because as the eldest daughter, I was responsible for so many things and it drove me mad. So many times, I just wanted someone else to take care of things and to be left alone. Thankfully, I didn’t have a mother like Maddie’s and was given an escape sooner. My mother also made sure I had the tools I needed to survive in this wild world, tools Maddie desperately needed.

Maddie’s lack of experience when it came to other things like racism, microaggressions, and especially sex were handled wonderfully. I wanted to pull her to the side, grab a bottle of wine and explain everything to her. But like all of us, our twenties are for learning from our many mistakes, and Maddie is no different. She had to go through so much to finally get to a place where she could face the world.

I think Jessica George is an amazing writer and really loved her debut. I hope she continues to write because she writes with an honesty and emotion that some authors aren’t brave enough to do. I highly recommend this book to my readers.

Content Warnings: panic attacks, anxiety, racism, microaggressions, mental health issues.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Amazon