Queenie is a remarkable novel in many ways. The narrator, Queenie, is written with such a clear voice and vivid character that she fully engages the reader. Her friends and family are equally sharply drawn. The book is often very funny, making me laugh out loud often while listening to the unabridged audiobook performed with great energy and conviction by Shvorne Marks. But it is also a challenging work because Queenie reaches such a level of self-defeat that reading about how she lets herself down is frustrating. But ultimately this is an uplifting story that is particularly striking in giving psychotherapy the credit for Queenie learning to cope with her feelings and to control her behavior. Positive portrayals of therapy are rare in fiction, so Queenie is notable for this.

Queenie is 25 and at the start of the story she lives with her boyfriend Tom. She is Jamaican, he is white, and they have been together for several years. But she gets upset at a gathering of his family when his uncle says something racist, and she refuses to ignore it. He decides he wants to take a break. This sets her off on a path of questionable decisions, most of which involve having sex with men who do not make her feel good. She also starts to endanger her job at a magazine by becoming unreliable. At the same time she has episodes of fainting which seem to be to do with her emotions overwhelming her as her life spirals out of control.

The story is set in London, and Queenie is from Brixton. It helps to have some familiarity with the many cultures of people living in London and the language people use in order to be able to understand what is going on, so the book may be challenging for some American readers. The audiobook version will help with this because Shvorne Marks delivers all the accents masterfully. 

There is plenty of political consciousness in the story, showing how white men treat black women — stereotyping, fetishizing, objectifying, exoticising, and more. Queenie is in a minority at work, and she frequently pitches stories about Black Lives Matter to her editor, but they never get accepted. She also has many criticisms of white liberals who show no real conviction about their principles when it comes to race and ethnicity. We see the effects of the formerly working class black neighborhood of Brixton being taken over by young wealthy white people — a classic example of gentrification. 

Some of the most memorable parts of the book involve Queenie’s relationship with her grandparents. They are very strict and old fashioned but they are also loving. Their shared Jamaican culture comes out strongly. Her relationship with her mother, which is very troubled, is also central to her story.

So there is a lot here. While there are occasions where Queenie risks losing her readers’ sympathy, she is so funny and sincere that the book is a pleasure to read. Highly recommended. 

© 2019 Christian Perring

Christian Perring teaches in NYC.