Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 26/01/2024
Published by: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: B09WZ8WY1X
Cover:
The vibrant yellow and gorgeous illustration of the main character, Maddie, makes this simple design stunning and perfect for the genre. Maddie’s bright yellow suit is also mentioned several times in the story, but little else about the complex storyline is portrayed.
Writing:
A conversational yet compelling writing style kept the character-driven storyline captivating and easy to follow. Besides this, media elements, such as texts, emails and Google searches, added a creative and modern element that made the writing even more engaging.
Protect your peace in whatever and every way you can.
Storyline:
The storyline revolves around various family, work and social challenges Maddie faces as she struggles to find happiness. Topics such as grief, depression, family dynamics, dating and caring for someone with Parkinson’s provide a deep exploration of the complex factors that affect the mental health of the main character. This raw, emotive content was painfully relatable and even made me cry a few times.
Main character(s):
Maddie is a sweet, caring character whose realistic narrative and struggles made it easy for me to root for her. The incorporation of her family’s Ghanaian culture and the strong arc she experienced brought even more depth to her character, but I found it sad that her experiences with and references to Ghanaian culture were rarely positive.
A person’s troubles are not measured by the size of those troubles, but by how much they weigh on the individual carrying them”
Secondary characters:
Maddie interacts with family, friends, colleagues and other characters who are skillfully used to drive the complex situations she encounters and/or support her through them. In particular, the members of Maddie’s family stood out to me because of their complexity and how they are used to explore various topics and cultural concepts.
Romance:
Despite some cute moments, all the romantic connections Maddie formed seemed weird or unhealthy, and I struggled to root for them. These connections were also undeveloped, which made the topics they raised less substantial.
There are healthy and unhealthy expressions of love. And not all of them should be accepted
Narration & Audio:
Heather Agyepong brilliantly enriches the complex narrative and conversational writing with accents, smooth cadence and different voices for the characters.
In a nutshell, ‘My Name is Maame‘ delivers a compelling journey of self-discovery with engaging, conversational prose. Why not check out Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn for a similar self-love journey by a black female protagonist if you enjoyed this.
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