Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful debut novel by Jessica George, beautifully narrated by Heather Agyepong - 5 stars!
Maddie is known as Maame to her family, which in Twi means woman. Maddie's place in her family is underlined by that meaning because she's had to take charge of her father, disabled by Parkinson's disease, both physically and financially. Her older brother, James, is too busy living his own life, and their mother mostly lives in Ghana. So while Maddie went to university, she has always lived at home taking care of everyone. When her mother moves back home, Maddie finally gets the courage to move out. But when tragedy strikes, Maddie is left trying to pick up all the pieces of her life.
This was a fabulous novel, made more wonderful by the beautiful narration. I could not stop listening to the narrator's beautiful voice! There is so much here to love - Maddie is a wonderful, naive character trying to do right by her family, feeling guilty yet trying to come into her own life a little as well. It's a story of grief, trust, family dynamics, mental health, racism, navigating love and friendship. One of my absolute favorite parts is that Maddie consults google as she tries to learn how to be in this world and stand up for herself. There are serious subjects here but they are dealt with humor and truth. This would be a great book club selection. I fell in love with Maddie and this book - can't wait to read more from this author! A must read!
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