Queenie

Winner of the British Book Awards Book of the Year & Debut Book of the Year 2020 Runner Up in the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2020 Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2019 Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020 Shortlisted for the The Jhalak Prize 2020 Shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2019 ‘Heartbreaking, funny, fresh and modern all at once’ – Cat at Head Office ‘A beautifully emotional, joyful, fist-punching-the-air book’ – Hannah Kate at Liverpool One ‘A powerhouse debut novel’ – Martyn at Finchley Road Published on a wave of critical acclaim – and breathless enthusiasm from our booksellers – Candice Carty-Williams’ luminous debut is a joy-filled, painfully funny coming-of-age story set in modern Britain. Fabulous but flawed, defiant but vulnerable, Queenie Jenkins is one of the great fictional creations of the twenty-first century, and her story is, by turns, hilariously funny, dramatic and movingly tender. Caught between the Jamaican British family who don’t seem to understand her, a job that’s not all it promised and a man she just can’t get over, Queenie’s life seems to be steadily spiralling out of control. Desperately trying to navigate her way through a hot mess of shifting cultures and toxic relationships and emerge with a shred of dignity, her missteps and misadventures will provoke howls of laughter and tears of pity – frequently on the same page. Tackling issues as diverse as mental health, race, class and consent with a light yet sure touch, Queenie is refreshingly candid, delightfully compassionate and bracingly real. The perfect fable for a frenetic and confusing time, Carty-Williams’ stellar novel is undoubtedly one of the year’s most exciting debuts and announces its author as a fresh and vibrant new voice in British literature. Cover design may vary.