By Piyali C.

Maddie Wright is a 25-year-old British woman of Ghanaian descent who feels like her life is somewhat stagnant. She works as a personal assistant in a theater company where her boss suffers from depression. She is tired of being the only Black person at work and keeping a low profile so as not to attract attention. After exhausting days at work, she comes home to take care of her father, who suffers from advanced Parkinson’s disease. Maddie’s mother lives mostly in Ghana and her older brother James hardly chips in to help, leaving Maddie as the primary caregiver of her ailing father. When Maddie’s mother finally agrees to return home to London for a year to take over her husband’s care, Maddie jumps at the opportunity to move out and live life as an adult. She finds a flat to share, goes out for drinks after work with flatmates, tries to make her voice heard at work, and experiments with internet dating. However, when tragedy strikes, Maddie realizes that her family, rooted in Ghanaian traditions, is different and has its own unique needs and expectations. Maddie must come to terms with her identity as a Ghanaian British woman who struggles to straddle two cultures and make it work.

For me, the book was interesting for many reasons. First, it was amusing to read how Maddie, this young woman, navigates through some tough life questions by asking Google. Secondly, the significance of the book’s title made me think of my own Bengali culture and the practice of giving pet names (daak nam) to babies. Maddie is affectionately called Maame by her close family members, which means woman in Twi. And Maddie feels that she has had to be the caring, responsible, compliant, non-complaining person who took up the burden of her family’s responsibilities on her shoulders from childhood, because women are expected to do just that. At times, as a young adult left to care for her father or pay bills for family expenses, Maddie detested the name because it came with expectations. Gradually, with some help, she realizes not just responsibilities and expectations, but her name ‘woman’ is also emblematic of immense strength. Through self-introspection, help from her friends, and a candid conversation with her mother, Maddie comes to recognize the power of her name and understand the richness of her parents’ culture. And for the first time, she also understands that her mother is more than just her mother. She is a mother, a career woman, a wife, and most importantly a woman.  

In Bengali society, a common pet name for girl babies is different connotations of the Bengali word ma which means mother. Often, baby girls are named Mam, Mamon or Mamoni. This book made me wonder about the significance of those pet names and if there are expectations of motherhood associated with those names, but that debate is for another day. 

Maame, Jessica George’s debut novel, is a smart and funny exploration of the poignant themes of our times – relationships, loneliness, racism, adulthood, filial duty. I really enjoyed the growth in Maame’s character and found it to be a privilege to watch Maame figure out the significance of her name, grow comfortable in her skin, and ask for recognition in her work and society. 

Maame is available in print, e-book, and e-audiobook formats.

Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates Light But Not Fluffy and co-facilitates Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.