Queenie Book Review
It’s definitely not trash, but it’s also not my favorite. Thanks, public library!
Queenie (2019) by Candice Carty-Williams published by Scout Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc
This book made me think and feel. It’s definitely not trash, but it’s also not my favorite. Thanks, public library!
Star Rating: 3 stars
I rate based on:
Couldn’t put it down/Want to finish the series (up to 2 stars)
Do the Black characters have an autonomous voice and innerGod? (up to 2 stars)
Do I agree with the themes? ( up to 1 star)
It wasn’t a page turner for me. But as an audiobook, Shvorne Marks kept me going. I also read/listened to it start to finish twice. Very excellent plot twist in the last third! Well-executed and believable. It also helped to make that character more dynamic and a true foil to Queenie.
How did the book make me feel?
Seen, understood, not alone because the author could write experiences and thought patterns so relatably. The spiral of anxiety, the catastrophizing, the neuroception. And also the lighter stuff like Queenie removing Kyazike’s weaves and grandparents with outdated rules who always give you chores. Nostalgic for when Tumblr was the start of the online revolution.
Uncomfortable, embarrassed (first and second hand), nervous because Queenie was so out of it, so dissociated, so unaware even as her friends tried to tell her and nervous that one doesn’t know when they are approaching the danger zone.
Hopeful because she got help and her family defended her and her boss was businesslike while also being human.
Annoyed because no one beyond Kyazike ever understood about the systemic racism.
The Black characters are not othered or downplayed, but they are also not autonomous enough for me. Their energy comes from each other and outside themselves, which is good! But I love a character with an internal innerG. As coming of age stories go, I feel like Queenie dug herself out of the hole - with a lot of help - and got herself back to square one. And I love that. I do still feel a little sad that she started wanting to change the world and ended feeling barely able to change herself. I think that’s realistic; it’s a message people need to be exposed to. But I am a magical whimsical girly and I’m not looking for realism in literature. I like mine just realistic enough to believe but definitely with some magic. I agree with the themes — I just didn’t always enjoy the process of arriving at them.
On a very personal, very opinionated note – no one on the internet should take my advice without consulting other people they actually know -- this book is a prime example against miscegenation. I said it. We can debate it. I love other people’s opinions, but don’t go in trying to change my mind. Just share from your heart if you feel so led.
Will I keep this book? Would I buy this book?
I would not buy this book. I only read it twice because I wanted to see if I missed something on my first read. When I read it the first time, I was shocked by responses from the book group I’m in. The majority of (Black women) readers hated it and I am honestly not sure why. I do not think it deserves our hate at all. It is violent in places and so it should come with a trigger warning for sexual violence, medical trauma, and self harm. That violence makes it realistic; it doesn’t make it a book worth hating.
Do I recommend this book? To whom?
If someone is like me and doesn’t want their literature realistic, they should not read this book. That’s my biggest critique.
Life and the world can be very awful and I don’t need that reflected in my leisure reading.
But if the realism does something for you and you like a round, flawed, complex main character that needs picking apart and talking back to, then go for it.
Does it glitter or is it gold? It glitters nicely and belongs nowhere near the trash pile.
I’m excited to start the Hulu series!
