My Name Is Maame

A funny, moving and insightful story about family, grief and obligation, and learning to be your own person. Maddie is a young Londoner, the heart of her Ghanaian family, her mother who spends most of her time working back in Ghana, her brother James who works in music and rarely pulls his weight, her father whose advanced Parkinson's means that Maddie has stayed at home to be his carer. Maddie is old beyond her years, the rock that her family leans on without thinking about what this costs her. "Maame" is what they call her, it means many things in Twi, including "woman" and Maddie and learning what it means to them and to her, is a key theme.

Maddie always puts everyone else first, her family, her employers. She has never been to university, never lived away from home, never been in a real relationship and she feels lost, weary and ready to discover herself with a flatshare and a determination to find herself and find an occasion to wear a yellow suit that symbolises her new confidence and her new approach to life. But Maddie has had to grow up very quickly and as she seeks the adult experiences she's missed out on she also has to come to terms with the sacrifices she has had to make. She works through grief, resentment and depression and confronts racism in her work and her private life. It's a beautiful portrait of a perfectly realised young woman whose growth is a joy to share. Jessics George makes Maddie a compelling character who is close to my heart. Her inner monologue (and her constant googling) are by turn hilarious and heartbreaking and she is brilliantly relatable. Heather Agyepong brings her vividly to life, a natural effortless narrator who can easily bring you to laughter or tears from the ways her voice emotes.

What a debut! Such a moving story. I especially loved it because there was so much I could relate to as a (youngish) Black-British woman living in South London trying to find my way in within life's struggles.

I really appreciated that though heavy topics are explored, humour also has a place in the narrative and the balance was done well.

The narration for this is excellent! It felt real and honest and Maame was really brought to life.

I'm excited for this book to be released and hope it receives all the hype and recognition I believe it deserves.

I devoured this book in one sitting! Jessica George totally submerged me in Maddie/Maame’s mind from the first moment. I felt her frustrations and sorrow being left alone to care for her ailing father while trying to take care of herself. From such a young age, her emotions and needs were pushed to the bottom, from without and within. When we meet her, she doesn’t know who she is and who she wants to be. That journey was so real and so raw, in almost equal parts naive and profound. I was rooting for her as she connected to her feelings, found her voice to express herself, and ultimately learned to love herself and her life.
Kudos to Heather Ageypong— listening to this story with the British and Ghanaian accents greatly increased the emotional connection! 🎧
Thank you, Jessica George. Your work is a masterpiece and in my top 10 books of 2022! 🏆
*Thanks to Hodder & Stouton and NetGalley for the advance audiobook for review.

5 🌟

Here it is - my first five star review of 2023! 📚💕

This novel is the beautiful, heart-wrenching story of Maddie, a 25-year-old in London, who is torn between the different choices she must face in her life. She watches over her father, who has advanced Parkinson’s, and hasn’t fully lived life on her own terms.

However, her mother moves back from Ghana and tells her to move out and start living her life. She decides to start trying some “firsts” - including pushing forward in her career, drinking, trying online dating, and losing her virginity.

Maddie is such a beautiful character and her arc throughout this novel really stood out to me. Also, I really love how “Maame” tackles mental health issues and stigmas. It is uncomfortable, but so worth diving into.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me an ARC of this novel!