Candice Carty-Williams’ debut novel “Queenie” arrives like a punch to the gut wrapped in dark humor and unflinching honesty. This isn’t your typical coming-of-age story; it’s a brutal examination of what happens when a young Black British woman finds herself completely unmoored, grasping for identity while drowning in her own self-destructive patterns.
Twenty-five-year-old Queenie Jenkins exists in the liminal space between two worlds—her Jamaican heritage and British upbringing—never quite fitting comfortably into either. As a journalist at a national newspaper, she’s constantly measuring herself against her white, middle-class colleagues, always finding herself wanting. When her long-term relationship with Tom implodes, Queenie embarks on a devastating spiral that forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths about race, class, mental health, and the particular ways society fails young Black women.
Character Development: A Portrait of Authentic Struggle
The Complexity of Queenie Jenkins
Carty-Williams has crafted a protagonist who defies easy categorization. Queenie is simultaneously vulnerable and resilient, self-aware yet self-sabotaging, funny yet heartbreaking. Her voice—captured through Carty-Williams’ masterful use of contemporary London vernacular—feels authentic and immediate. The author’s decision to incorporate text messages, emails, and social media exchanges creates an intimacy that makes Queenie’s pain feel visceral and real.
What makes Queenie particularly compelling is her refusal to be likeable in conventional terms. She makes terrible decisions, hurts people who care about her, and often acts as her own worst enemy. Yet Carty-Williams never lets us forget the systemic and personal traumas that have shaped these behaviors. The protagonist’s inability to accept love and tendency toward self-punishment stem from a childhood marked by domestic violence and abandonment—experiences that resonate with painful authenticity.
Supporting Characters: Mirrors and Contrasts
The supporting cast serves as both anchor and mirror for Queenie’s journey. Her friend group—dubbed “The Corgis”—provides sharp commentary on millennial friendship dynamics, particularly how mental health struggles can strain even the most well-intentioned relationships. Kyazike emerges as a particularly strong voice, offering both support and necessary criticism of Queenie’s choices.
Tom, the well-meaning white boyfriend, represents a certain type of progressive man who believes good intentions excuse cultural blind spots. His family’s casual racism and his own inability to understand Queenie’s experiences as a Black woman highlight the impossibility of their relationship, despite genuine affection on both sides.
Perhaps most powerfully rendered are Queenie’s family members—her grandparents, aunt Maggie, and her mother Sylvie. These characters embody the complexity of intergenerational trauma and healing, showing how patterns of silence and survival strategies passed down through Caribbean families can both protect and wound.
Narrative Structure: Form Reflecting Function
Modern Storytelling Techniques
Carty-Williams employs a contemporary narrative structure that mirrors the fragmented nature of modern communication and Queenie’s fractured mental state. The inclusion of text message chains, group chats, and email exchanges isn’t mere stylistic flourish—it’s integral to understanding how Queenie navigates relationships and processes emotions.
The non-linear timeline, moving between past and present, allows readers to gradually understand the roots of Queenie’s self-destructive behavior. This structure particularly excels in revealing the full scope of her relationship with Tom, showing both its genuine moments of connection and its fundamental incompatibilities.
The Power of Contemporary Voice
The author’s decision to write in Queenie’s authentic voice—complete with London slang, code-switching, and stream-of-consciousness passages—creates an immediacy that many contemporary novels lack. This isn’t prose that aims for literary pretension; it’s writing that prioritizes emotional truth and character authenticity over stylistic flourishes.
Thematic Depth: Beyond the Surface
Mental Health and Trauma
One of the novel’s greatest strengths lies in its unflinching portrayal of mental health struggles. Queenie’s journey through therapy with Janet provides some of the book’s most powerful moments, particularly in how it addresses the specific ways trauma manifests in Black women’s lives. The author skillfully avoids both romanticizing mental illness and presenting therapy as a magic cure-all.
The depiction of Queenie’s panic attacks, sleep paralysis, and self-harm through sexual recklessness feels clinically accurate while remaining emotionally resonant. Carty-Williams doesn’t shy away from showing how mental health struggles can make someone genuinely difficult to be around, challenging readers’ expectations of sympathetic protagonists.
Race and Identity in Modern Britain
The novel’s exploration of racial identity proves particularly nuanced. Rather than presenting racism as overtly villainous, Carty-Williams focuses on microaggressions, cultural misunderstandings, and the exhausting daily navigation required of Black women in predominantly white spaces. Queenie’s workplace experiences—from being asked to cover diversity stories to having her cultural knowledge questioned—ring painfully true.
The author also examines internalized racism and colorism within Black communities, particularly through Queenie’s relationship with her light-skinned mother and her own struggles with self-worth. This internal examination prevents the novel from becoming a simple “us versus them” narrative.
Sexuality and Agency
Queenie’s sexual relationships serve as battlegrounds for control and self-worth. Her encounters with men who fetishize her race or treat her body as disposable reflect broader patterns of how Black women’s sexuality is commodified and dehumanized. Yet Carty-Williams refuses to present Queenie as purely victim—she shows how the protagonist sometimes seeks out these harmful encounters as a form of self-punishment.
The author’s treatment of sexuality is notably frank without being exploitative, showing both the physical and emotional consequences of Queenie’s choices while maintaining empathy for her motivations.
Critical Analysis: Strengths and Limitations
What Works Brilliantly
Carty-Williams succeeds in creating a protagonist who feels genuinely three-dimensional. Queenie’s flaws don’t excuse her behavior, but they make her human in ways that feel refreshingly honest. The author’s commitment to showing rather than telling—particularly regarding racism and mental health—allows readers to draw their own conclusions rather than being lectured.
The contemporary setting and references feel organic rather than forced, creating a specific temporal and cultural moment without dating the work. The humor throughout—dark, self-deprecating, and often uncomfortable—provides necessary relief without diminishing the serious themes.
Areas for Improvement
At times, the novel’s commitment to authenticity borders on bleakness that may overwhelm some readers. While this reflects Queenie’s mental state, certain sections feel repetitive in their cycle of self-destruction and regret. Some plot threads, particularly regarding workplace dynamics, feel underdeveloped compared to the rich family relationships.
The pacing occasionally suffers from the episodic structure, with some chapters feeling more like standalone incidents than part of a cohesive narrative arc. However, this may intentionally reflect the disjointed nature of depression and trauma recovery.
Literary Context and Significance
Debut Novel Excellence
As a first novel, “Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams demonstrates remarkable confidence and emotional intelligence. Carty-Williams avoids many debut pitfalls—overwriting, protagonist perfection, and neat resolution—instead trusting her readers to engage with complexity and moral ambiguity.
The book sits comfortably alongside other contemporary works exploring similar themes—Raven Leilani’s “Luster,” Abi Daré’s “The Girl with the Louding Voice,” and Oyinkan Braithwaite’s “My Sister, the Serial Killer“—while maintaining its own distinct voice and perspective.
Cultural Impact
The novel’s success signals a hunger for authentic Black British voices in contemporary literature. Carty-Williams doesn’t write for white approval or explanation; she assumes cultural competency from her readers while remaining accessible to those willing to engage thoughtfully.
Recovery and Hope: The Path Forward
Therapy as Character Development
The therapy scenes with Janet provide some of the novel’s most powerful character development. Rather than presenting quick fixes, Carty-Williams shows therapy as hard work requiring ongoing commitment. Janet’s techniques—particularly the “safe space” exercises—feel grounded in actual therapeutic practice.
Queenie’s resistance to antidepressants and her gradual acceptance of help reflect real barriers many people face in accessing mental health care. The author’s portrayal avoids both stigmatizing medication and presenting it as universally necessary.
Family Reconciliation
The evolving relationship between Queenie and her mother Sylvie offers perhaps the novel’s most hopeful trajectory. Their shared history of trauma creates understanding even amid years of estrangement. The final family dinner scene—where Queenie deletes Tom’s contact information while surrounded by her chaotic but loving relatives—suggests genuine growth rather than dramatic transformation.
Similar Reads and Literary Companions
Readers who connect with “Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams might appreciate:
- “Luster” by Raven Leilani – Another unflinching portrait of a young Black woman navigating messy relationships and racial microaggressions
- “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Explores similar themes of cultural displacement and identity, though with broader geographical scope
- “Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernardine Evaristo – Multiple perspectives on Black British womanhood across generations
- “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett – Examines colorism and identity within Black families
- “Such a Pretty Girl” by Laura Wiess – Another novel dealing with trauma recovery and family dysfunction
Final Verdict: A Necessary Voice
“Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams succeeds as both an entertaining read and an important cultural document. Carty-Williams has created a character who demands empathy without requiring likability, addressing serious themes without sacrificing readability. The novel’s commitment to emotional honesty—even when uncomfortable—marks it as a significant debut.
While the bleakness may prove challenging for some readers, the authentic portrayal of mental health struggles, racial identity, and family dysfunction offers validation for those who recognize their own experiences in Queenie’s story. The book’s ultimate message—that healing is possible but requires genuine work and support—feels both realistic and hopeful.
This is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand contemporary young adult experience, particularly for Black women navigating predominantly white spaces. Carty-Williams has given us a protagonist who refuses easy categorization, demanding instead that we engage with the full complexity of modern identity formation.
The novel stands as proof that debut fiction can tackle serious themes with both artistic merit and commercial appeal, establishing Carty-Williams as a significant new voice in British literature. “Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams isn’t just a good book—it’s a necessary one, offering perspectives and experiences that mainstream publishing has too often ignored.
In an era of increasing mental health awareness and ongoing conversations about racial justice, “Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams provides both mirror and lamp—reflecting current realities while illuminating paths toward understanding and healing. It’s a remarkable achievement that announces Carty-Williams as a writer to watch, and Queenie Jenkins as a character who will linger long after the final page.