Queenie is Working On It Author: Candice Carty Williams ISBN-13: 9781409198987 Publisher: TrapezeGuideline Price: £20; 416ppThe long-awaited sequel to Queenie, the smash-hit debut novel from British novelist Candice Carty-Williams, has finally arrived. Marketed as the black Bridget Jones, Queenie was a publishing phenomenon that proved a novel centring a black woman’s experience could be a commercial success. The protagonist – a 20-something journalist in south London navigating relationships, financial precarity and the daily racism she experiences – was adopted as a literary heroine for our times. With half a million copies sold, Queenie was subsequently adapted into a TV show for Channel 4/Hulu. although something special was lost in translation. If you would like to meet Queenie for the first time, return to the source material instead. The follow-up has been hotly anticipated by Queenie’s devoted fans. Now in her 30s, she must confront whether she would like to have children before it’s too late, having been priced out of property, where she grew up, an often demoralising career and, of course, the yearning for a great love. Queenie is the flawed, funny, sometimes frustrating friend readers first fell for, but there are also serious questions raised as to the plight of black women undergoing maternal healthcare in the United Kingdom. Queenie’s experience allows us to see the human story, rather than the terrifying statistics, that indicate black women are more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than white women. Carty-Williams skilfully integrates very serious realities of modern womanhood into the narrative while still offering the reader an abundance of humour and heart. When a novel has been as successful as Queenie, the author can become a victim of their own success: it is very difficult to align the stars quite so magnificently for a second time. The expectations are so high that it would be almost impossible for Carty-Williams to meet them. And yet, Queenie’s comeback is confident and delivers on the promise. In a publishing industry where there is much talk about the need for diverse voices, but often less action, we need more novels such as this. Not just because they offer an alternative to dominant narratives, or because they offer a more authentic representation of society – both so important – but because otherwise we also miss out on the opportunity to encounter excellence. The world needs more Queenie.Helen Cullen is the author of The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually and the forthcoming Iseult