It wasn’t until I put the book down that I realized that maybe I was only intended to see this one chapter in Queenie’s life. I kept getting annoyed watching the drama of all her terrible decisions unfold but as I neared the end, I started to think that this book may be showing the death of a Phoenix that will soon rise from it’s own ashes. This stage of Queenie’s life is full of pure muck. From her boyfriend dumping her to her declining job performance and family trauma continuously resurfacing, Queenie feels like she can’t catch a break. That is until she has a breakdown.
It isn’t until that breakdown that she begins to peel back the layers of her life in order to understand how she can start to help herself climb out of the emotional well she lives in. There was so much subtle beauty in noticing my transition from wanting to strangle Queenie to wanting to hug her tightly. That is where the author shined in weaving us through Queenie’s narrative. We went from watching Queenie dramatically self-destruct and crumbling to silently cheering for her small victories as she sifts through her own ashes.
In the end, I enjoyed peeking in on Queenie’s mental health journey and seeing the complexities of it within the context of a Jamaican family in the UK. Hours after putting this book down, I am still rooting for Queenie from across the pond and wondering what her next life chapter will be.
Until then, it was great to meet this character and I hope we meet again in book 2.
It isn’t until that breakdown that she begins to peel back the layers of her life in order to understand how she can start to help herself climb out of the emotional well she lives in. There was so much subtle beauty in noticing my transition from wanting to strangle Queenie to wanting to hug her tightly. That is where the author shined in weaving us through Queenie’s narrative. We went from watching Queenie dramatically self-destruct and crumbling to silently cheering for her small victories as she sifts through her own ashes.
In the end, I enjoyed peeking in on Queenie’s mental health journey and seeing the complexities of it within the context of a Jamaican family in the UK. Hours after putting this book down, I am still rooting for Queenie from across the pond and wondering what her next life chapter will be.
Until then, it was great to meet this character and I hope we meet again in book 2.