The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Carty-Williams, Candice. Queenie. Scout Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. New York, NY, 2019. First Scout Press Hardcover Edition. The story is set in contemporary England, but contains a series of flashbacks, all recounted in the first-person narrative voice of the title character, a young black woman.

The narrative begins with Queenie visiting her gynecologist in the aftermath of experiencing ongoing, and sometimes severe, abdominal pain. She longs to have her boyfriend Tom with her, particularly when she gets the news that she has had a miscarriage. Tom, however, does not even respond to her texts. When she gets back to the apartment she and Tom share, she continues to pack up; narration reveals that Tom (who is white) has been struggling for a long time in the relationship, and has asked for a break. Queenie considers telling him about the miscarriage, particularly since they had once talked about having children, but decides the time is not right.

Queenie moves into share accommodation and, in the aftermath of these three major life changes, spins into a downward spiral of unprotected sexual encounters (always with white men who treat her badly), of slacking off at work, and of desperately longing for Tom. Her circle of friends continues to offer their support, but Queenie’s decisions become worse and worse, all compounded by her ongoing resentment of her mother, whom she sees as having abandoned her. Meanwhile, a man at work with whom she had had a sexual encounter accuses her of sexual harassment; another man with whom she had a series of sexually violent encounters turns out to be the boyfriend of one of Queenie’s best friends; and painful memories of her childhood, when she was abused by her mother’s boyfriend, continue to surface in unexpected and difficult ways.

Eventually, all the pressures Queenie is navigating become too much for her, and she suffers an emotional breakdown. She is given leave from work, moves in with her conservative grandparents, and is encouraged to start therapy. She is initially reluctant, as she sees both admitting to having problems and admitting that she needs help to deal with them as a sign of weakness, a belief reinforced by her opinionated, controlling grandmother. Eventually, though, Queenie decides that she cannot continue living her life as she has been doing, and starts counseling sessions with the compassionate but pragmatic Janet.

As those sessions continue, Queenie gets becomes better able to handle both the present-day stresses in her life and the past experiences which, as she comes to realize, have been the main reason why her present has become so painful. As a result of what she learns in counseling, she develops a more compassionate relationship with her estranged mother; reconnects with her friends; and, after a few false starts, manages to avoid getting herself into the same sorts of abusive, destructive situations that had characterized her past.

The novel ends with Queenie gathered in a restaurant with the family and friends who had supported her, reclaiming and celebrating her individual identity; finally letting go of her longing for Tom; and at the beginning of what seems to be a new and more loving relationship with her mother, and with herself.