There are plenty of dates in this story, but Queenie is not about romance.
Queen Jenkins navigates life after a long-term relationship break-up. The premise sounds like a rom-com, but the story visits some dark places along the way. Listen to find out why we think Queenie is well worth a read.
Mental health topics covered: trauma, anxiety and panic attacks, unhealthy coping, therapy, attachment issues, cultural understandings of and approaches to mental illness.
Additional trigger warnings: racism (particularly as experienced by Queenie as a Black woman in England); unhealthy sexual relationships, sexual coercion, and issues with consent; adultery; miscarriage
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About the Book
Queenie Jenkins is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herself to her white middle class peers. After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places… including several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a bad job of affirming self-worth.
As Queenie careens from one questionable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, “What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be?”—all of the questions today’s woman must face in a world trying to answer them for her.
About the author
Candice Carty-Williams is a showrunner, culture writer, and author of Book of the Year Award winning and Sunday Times bestselling Queenie, as well as the young adult novella Empress and Aniya, and the Sunday Times bestelling People Person.
In 2016, Candice created and launched the Guardian and 4th Estate Short Story Prize for underrepresented writers, the first inclusive initiative of its kind in book publishing. She is the ex Guardian Review books columnist and has written for a number of publications.
Queenie received global acclaim and was described as vital, disarmingly honest, and boldly political. Queenie will be adapted for Channel 4 and Disney, and her original drama, Champion, will be airing on BBC One in the UK and on Netflix globally in 2023.
Find Candice on her website.
Our Thoughts
Queenie has the building blocks of a romantic comedy, but its finished construction lives in a different genre. Queenie goes on dates throughout the book, but her sexual encounters go beyond funny misadventures – they depict objectification, fetishization, and racism, and serious issues with (lack of) enthusiastic consent. There are certainly moments that made us laugh, but this book does not hold back on the emotional punches when Queenie is confronted with racism or her own trauma, or when her mental health deteriorates. The happy ending does not include a man, but it does involve hope that our main character can grow to love herself and find fulfilment in healthy ways.
Ultimately, this is a book that we highly recommend.
Discussion Questions
- Many people on Goodreads didn’t like the character Queenie because of her poor decision-making. What makes a flawed character likable or unlikable to you?
- If Queenie had actually been written as a Bridget Jones-style rom-com, how do you think the story would go?
- Queenie emphasises the importance of strong, supportive female friendships. What other books, TV shows, or movies show this too?
- In this episode, we talk a lot about relationship red flags. Are there any red flags in Queenie that we missed?
Resources
- Therapy for Black Girls. Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls.
- Here are some information about strategies to manage anxiety, including the ones Queenie use.
- The University of Sydney discusses enthusiastic consent in this article.
The Next Book We’ll Discuss Is…
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
Summary: Caden Bosch is on a ship that’s headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench. Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behaviour.
Caden Bosch is designated the ship’s artist in residence to document the journey with images. Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.
Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny. Caden Bosch is torn.
Tune in to this episode in July 2023. In the meantime, pick up a copy and read along with us.
Novel Feelings 