By Tess Fang
“Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams is a must-read for every 20-something woman, particularly those active in the 21st century dating world.
This novel, written in 2019, is a take on the problems the modern-day woman faces in her 20’s. Not only is Williams effective at presenting an enjoyable read, but she also helps to provide healing to those experiencing life in a similar way as the protagonist, Queenie.
Taking place in London, this novel follows Queenie on her journey through dating mainly white men as a 25-year-old black woman. Queenie’s choice in men is highly due to her past life experiences, and readers soon find why Queenie dates the men she does.
Although many seem to dislike the novel particularly because of Queenie’s character and her life choices, I found Queenie to be highly relatable. Queenie internalized her life experiences and found herself repeating patterns in her dating life.
While on the outside it may be frustrating to see Queenie continuously pursue men that only harm her both physically and emotionally, to some it may be freeing to know they are not alone in their traumas. It is possible Queenie can only be profound to those who have experienced similar dating stories, although many themes can be representative of the human race as a whole.
Williams includes primary themes of trauma and misogyny, with underlying themes of self-worth and self-identity, which is portrayed through a serious yet humorous and relatable 328 page read. For this reason, I would not call Queenie a political piece – these are all-encompassing issues of the human existence, albeit specific to women in the novel. With a certain amount of empathy brought upon by experiences, people can find this piece to be healing, even if maybe in a strange way.
The flawed and damaged Queenie is only understood if you can empathize with feeling broken due to the way your identity is perceived in the world. For this reason, I found “Queenie” to be incredibly healing, to know I am not alone in my experiences. While this novel may not resonate with everyone, it has a tremendous impact on those who find solace in Queenie’s character.
I can understand why some might find this novel more hurtful rather than healing, and to those I say, please interpret Queenie with an open mind, all judgements aside. People are complex, we do not always understand why we do things.
I hope that Queenie is not held to a different pedestal simply because she is a fictional character. Do not start reading thinking about politics and race because that’s not what Queenie is. Queenie is a complex character discovering herself for the first time after many traumas, something I believe many can relate to if we set aside judgements.
Great Article!