Maame – Book Review

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.

“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

Maame is one of my most anticipated books this year and I am so happy that I got a chance to get my hands on this book, courtesy to Barnes and Nobel who shipped this book all the way from US to Sri Lanka (and the hours I have to spend at the Sri Lankan post office to retrieve the book).

Maddie Wright is a twenty-something year old woman. Her mother is in Ghana, her brother is living elsewhere and so Maddie has to bear responsibility to look after her father, who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Maddie is also working at a job where she was the only Black person working in the job. So when her mother returns back from Ghana, Maddie moves out of the house to try to live independently. But soon, Maddie’s father passed away and the whole world seemed to have crashed down on Maddie’s shoulder.

Let me first start with the things I liked about the book

This is actually an emotional book. Maddie is taking a huge responsibility in looking after her father while both her brother and her mother are away from the responsibilities. Maddie’s emotions are surreal at how she is dealing with her father’s death and the weight of responsibilities she must carry particularly when handling financial responsibilities. This is also beautifully written and was very realistic as well, with a subtle mentioning of racism. Maddie being the only Black worker at her job and how she deals with being fired from her first job for no reason is another realistic point.

I also like how Maddie is a very curious character researching certain things on Google and somewhat, her character is very relatable to some people–like me. I also learned much about the Ghanaian culture overall–Maddie being Ghanaian-British and how she struggles with the language Twi and prefers speaking in English. There is also Maddie’s relationship with her mother, which seemed a bit estranged although in the end, both Maddie and her mother work out their relationships.

Is this book worth the hype? I think it is. The book basically talks about how Maddie dealt with her father’s disease and coming out of the sheltered life she had. This is actually truly emotional, riveting and of course there were some funny parts in the book that will actually make you laugh out loud!

Overall this book worth four stars!