Maddie Wright is stuck. At 25 years old she’s stuck at a job she hates, stuck at home taking care of her father with Parkinson’s. Stuck with all the responsibilities of life. Not that Maddie minds, she loves her father, but just she wasn’t the ‘Maame’ that everyone relied on to keep things together. As her father’s condition worsen’ s, Maddie is given a chance to branch out into the world. But will the new life challenges that come with experiencing the world be too much for Maddie to juggle?
Maame, was nothing and everything I expected.
This was a fantastic debut & WOW, just wow. I don’t even have the words for the way this book made me feel. While the book started out slow for me, it ended up packing a punch. I wasn’t entirely sure where we were going with Maddie’s story, but honestly, I’m glad I read it slowly and went in with zero expectation. Reading it slower really allowed me to absorb the events/ thoughts Maddie was having and continuously reflect back upon my own life. So many of the things Maddie is struggling with are things so many readers can relate to, especially those in their mid-20’s. For me the portrayals of grief and sadness really hit home, especially where her dad was concerned.
I don’t know how George did it, but she packed so much into a little more than 300 pages. The story of Maddie deals with depression, grief, loss, identity, family, cultural norms, race, sexual orientation, and so much more. I loved it & even though Maddie & I are completely different people so many of her thoughts are things I could relate to when I was in my mid-20s. Maddie’s grief consumed me but there is also so much hope, love, and humor in the book which is a great representation that life is never one thing. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this wonderfully written debut.
I also loved all the ‘Google’ references because that’s exactly how I live my day to day, lol. I did a combo of Audio & reading & both ways are great! The narrator was fantastic!
Maame comes out January 31, 2023. Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.
Ohh I would like ke to read this book. Thanks for the review.
Its on my ipad & i have a physical copy you can read