We love a good book adaptation and Candice Carty-Williams’ debut novel, Queenie, was adapted into a Hulu series. Starring Dionne Brown as Queenie, Bellah as Kyazike, and Samuel Adewunmi as Frank. Queenie is immediately sparking conversations around self-worth, friendships, mental health, interracial relationships, and familial dynamics.

Queenie by Candice Carty Williams

Our main character, Queenie, is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London. After a messy breakup with her long-term boyfriend, Queenie takes a few missteps and struggles to regain control. She seeks validation in sexual partners who fail to deliver, performs poorly at work, and frequently experiences panic attacks when reckoning with past trauma. Queenie is a flawed character reminding individuals that navigating the world isn’t easy and prioritizing your relationship with yourself is key.

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Let The Mess Begin

The show starts with Queenie getting broken up with, moving out of her boyfriend’s apartment and stepping into this independent era. What makes this more complicated is Queenie experienced a miscarriage and didn’t tell her boyfriend so as you can imagine this timing is terrible and isolating. So Queenie seeks to fill this void with literally anyone to numb her shame and self-doubt.

Self-worth

Queenie seeks validation in sexual partners who end up leaving her feeling more empty than she did before, her performance at work continues to slip and she keeps making the same mistakes. The frustrated reaction among viewers and readers alike is valid but when you’re twenty-something, who really learns their lesson the first time? In time, Queenie begins to understand that self-worth is the foundation of how we view and treat ourselves and after all she is a queen who deserves better.

Friendship

Now enter her friend group, “The Corgis” who witness Queenie spiraling and take various approaches to helping her, but it’s really Kyazike who is the ride or die. She is the friend that tells Queenie she’s acting wild and challenges Queenie’s obsession with white men but also provides comfort because we all need balance. Kyazike’s witty banter and compassion make her stand out among the rest of “The Corgis” because Queenie’s other “friends” will have you gawking at their audacity to call themselves friends.

Familial Dynamics

Family is interesting, the people who know us our entire lives but we struggle to be vulnerable in front of and with. We see Queenie working through generational and childhood trauma which takes time. She is estranged from her mother and the flashbacks Queenie experiences illustrate how her mother abandoned her and prioritized mediocre, abusive partners. Because of this, Queenie battles panic attacks, seeks validation in the wrong places, avoids accountability, and struggles to trust others as an adult. But there are also beautiful moments between Queenie and her grandparents, her younger cousin, and aunt which add texture to who Queenie is and the support system she has.

Overall, Queenie captured the spirit of the story in a way that was both infuriating and delightful. Within these eight episodes, Dionne Brown’s performance takes viewers on a rollercoaster evoking various emotions as they witness a nonlinear healing journey that’s filled with more than a few bumps along the way. The screenwriters managed to capture the culture, relationships, and wit that offer an entertaining experience. If you’re discovering Queenie through the adaption, definitely pick up your copy of the novel after and let us know how you think it compares!