Madeline (Maddie, as she’s fondly called) is a 25-year-old self-acclaimed late bloomer and the primary caretaker for her sick father, living in London. Her mother spends half her time in Ghana, running the hostel her own father had left her and her brother. She works as a personal assistant and barely does anything outside of work.
When her mum returns from her latest trip, Maddie gets a chance to move out, start living, and experience many firsts. Published in 2023, My Name is Maame is the author’s debut novel.
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Maddie finds a flatshare, starts going out after work, starts dating, and even comes up with a list of things for the New Maddie to do. She also got a job in publishing not long after being fired unceremoniously from her PA job. She comes to like the new one because although she started with making tea and taking minutes for meetings, her suggestions and pitches are well received.
When tragedy strikes, Maddie struggles with guilt and starts to wonder if trying to live life on her terms was worth it. With the help of Google and her friends, Nia and Shu, she slowly comes to terms with her new reality. Being older when it happens does not make Maddie’s coming-of-age any less complicated. She was even convinced that something was wrong with her and that if she “hit her head hard enough,” she could fix her brain.
“It made me grow up when I should have had more time. It made my dad overlook me when I was a child, my mum leave me behind, and my brother get away with doing the bare minimum. It made me lonely and it made me sad. It made me responsible and guilty. It made me someone, if given the choice, I wouldn’t want to be.”
A major theme in this book is the adultification of female children. Although he was older, James, Maddie’s brother, was allowed to have his own life and show up whenever he wanted but Maddie had to stay home to care for her father. Her mother did not know any better because she had suffered the same fate and considered herself to have turned out okay.
Instead, Maddie was depressed. She loved her father and was happy to care for him but sometimes, the burden of being responsible for him got to her. She also had to take care of the bills and keep the house going while her mother and brother lived their own lives. The book also explores themes of career struggles, family drama, identity, and trying to find your way in life.
“Instead, I wake up every day and I smile when I need to and talk when I have to, but I am in in constant pain, and I have been for too long.”
Maddie had always thought her mum to be overbearing, even while she was all the way in Ghana. With her mother’s bravado being stripped away in the wake of their new reality, Maddie begins to see how alike they are. Maddie’s mum also realizes how much responsibility she had left to her daughter all those years because she no longer wanted to be trapped.
It’s such a well-written book from start to finish; you get so engrossed in the story and you don’t want it to end. It’s like a warm hug despite tackling salient topics. The book ends on a note of hope and you find yourself rooting for Maddie.
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