48 pages • 1 hour read
Jessica GeorgeMaame
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 36-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 36 Summary
Maddie meets with Angelina again. She’s dreading her father’s funeral, which is coming up the next day. She mentions her habit of talking to herself. Maddie is introverted, but Angelina proposes this habit came to be because she didn’t have a choice; talking to other people means possibly receiving feedback she wouldn’t want to hear. When Maddie tells Angelina that she frequently tells people “I love you,” Angelina dives into the dynamics of love. Angelina explains that love is expressed in different ways, healthy and unhealthy. While Maddie’s parents don’t say “I love you,” they do love her. Angelina explains that Maddie must either accept people and how they express love or detach herself from them. When Angelina confronts Maddie about her depression, Maddie has a panic attack and passes out. A doctor is called and recommends that she see a doctor for a prescription for beta-blockers. The doctor tells Maddie not to work, and Penny agrees. Kris calls Maddie’s mother to pick her up.
Maddie admits to her mother that she thinks it’s her fault that her father died. Maddie’s mother reminds her that she attended all of her father’s other birthdays, including the ones she and James skipped. When Maddie’s mother assures her that she can talk to her about anything, Maddie asks her about Kwaku. Maddie’s mother admits she fell in love with Kwaku when she was a university student in Accra, but her father made her marry Maddie’s father instead. Maddie realizes, “My parents are not special people, they’re ordinary, and one of my problems is that I’m expecting perfection from ordinary people” (254-55). Maddie’s mother loves Kwaku but feels guilty about their relationship because she takes adultery and her religion seriously. She cooks for Maddie and tells her more about her past. She also voices concern for Maddie’s depression and blames herself for it.
Chapter 37 Summary
Maddie attends her father’s funeral. She’s surrounded by relatives and members of the Ghanaian community, many of whom she’s never met before. One of the mourners insists that Maddie speak in Twi with her. Maddie presents her eulogy for her father. However, she thinks, “I don’t like my eulogy because I don’t feel it encapsulates everything, but how could it? How can I, in front of my family, describe that I’m not only mourning my dad but the life I lost when he became sick and the life I’ve lost now that’s he’s gone?” (263). At the burial, James cries and apologizes to Maddie for not being present for her and not spending time with their father while he was alive. Maddie and her mother talk, and both acknowledge that they have different lives; Maddie’s life is in England, while her mother’s life is in Ghana. They voice their love for each other, and Maddie’s mother encourages her to continue with therapy. Maddie speaks to her father in the sky, telling him that she misses him and hopes his spirit is happy. Later, she has a nightmare in which she runs through the cemetery in the rain, looking for her father. When Nia texts to ask how she slept after her father’s funeral, she doesn’t bring up the nightmare.
Chapter 38 Summary
Maddie meets with Angelina again. They revisit Maddie’s relationship with Maame, and Maddie decides that rather than be resentful of her Ghanaian nickname, she’ll embrace it as part of her growth. Nia is looking for a new apartment and wants Maddie to move in with her.
Chapter 39 Summary
Maddie finds out she was rejected from the writing fellowship she applied to. At work, she overhears Kris and Penny talking about her. Kris reminds Penny that Afra’s Love Stories From the Middle East was Maddie’s idea and thinks she should be more involved with the editing and production of the book. Penny doesn’t want to lose her assistant and says they shouldn’t overwhelm Maddie at the moment. Maddie is surprised that Kris has been giving her credit the whole time and angry that Penny has been holding her back.
Jo’s friend Emma texts Maddie, asking for her help planning a birthday party for Jo. Maddie wants to improve her relationship with Jo even though she’s moving out, so she agrees to help. Sam is there as well, and Jo drunkenly asks him to marry her. Maddie leaves the party for a moment, and Sam joins her. They speak openly about Maddie’s sadness. She tells Sam about Ben and how she once thought she should only date Black men who date Black women so she wouldn’t have to worry about ulterior motives. Sam mentions an ex-girlfriend (presumably Jo) who likes to be considered progressive but often says racist things. Maddie says she wants to confront her boss about Love Stories From the Middle East. Sam encourages her to stand up for herself, especially in white spaces where Black people are taken advantage of.
Chapter 40 Summary
At work the next day, Maddie has a meeting with Penny. She explains that given her successful pitches, she deserves a seat at the table. Penny agrees to let her partake in editorial work but insists she remain her assistant. She brings Maddie to a creative meeting with a Black illustrator, who turns out to be Sam. After the meeting, Sam asks Maddie out on a date.
Chapter 41 Summary
Maddie texts Nia and Shu to ask whether or not it’s acceptable to date her roommate’s ex-boyfriend. They both encourage her to talk to Jo, so she does. Jo accepts that Sam is attracted to Maddie. Since Maddie is moving out and she and Jo aren’t friends, Jo doesn’t get too upset.
Maddie’s mother calls about her father’s solicitor, Mr. Ackah, who is at the apartment and needs to speak with them. Maddie is worried that they owe money, so she rushes to her mother. She, James, and their mother meet with Mr. Ackah. He has a surprise will to present: Years ago, Maddie’s father opened an investment account and has left 50,000 pounds to Maddie.
Chapter 42 Summary
On her date with Sam, Maddie says she’s worried he asked her out because he pities her. Sam asserts that he’s interested in her and they have a connection. He eases her grief. A friend of his died from suicide a month ago, so Sam has resolved to be more open with his feelings. He doesn’t want Maddie to feel ashamed of her own feelings. She feels comfortable speaking with Sam and decides to trust her instinct about him.
Chapter 43 Summary
After three weeks of dating Sam, Maddie opens up to him about her issues with sex. He is empathetic and helps her try different positions. He eases her into sex and performs oral sex, which makes her climax for the first time. Maddie and Sam then have intercourse that is pleasurable and connective.
Maddie receives an email from a literary agent named Eloise Forrester. Eloise read her submission for the writing fellowship. She acknowledges that the sample seemed rushed but says she’s interested in Maddie’s protagonist and would like to talk about her writing.
Epilogue Summary
Maddie visits her father’s grave to give him updates on her life. She’s on her way to being promoted to assistant editor and is working on a book about her relationship with her father. She is living happily with Nia, and Sam is officially her boyfriend. Maddie’s mother will return to Ghana, but they have grown closer. A sunbeam hits the gravestone, hurting Maddie’s eyes, which she accepts as a sign from her father.
Chapter 36-Epilogue Analysis
In these final chapters, Maddie experiences a panic attack at work that is so severe that she passes out. She and Angelina’s therapy session is informative, but it induces the panic attack, suggesting that Maddie is resentful of her own emotions and truths. The panic attack forces her to take time for herself. It also forces her mother to confront the reality of her depression. The mother and daughter speak openly about their lives and feelings for the first time. Maddie learns about her mother’s past, and Maddie’s mother assures her that she wants her to continue with therapy. In being forced to be open with her mother, Maddie is finally given the opportunity to air out her resentment and find closure for some issues. This resolution reinforces the themes of Coming of Age and A Balanced, Happy Life.
The funeral symbolizes the end of Maddie’s relationship with her father as she knew it. Burying him means putting him to rest, which Maddie did in her care of him. Now that he is buried and honored, she can start the process of moving on and pursuing her own life. Because her identity was defined by her father for years, his funeral is a transition, a moment for her to consider a future without him. This also reinforces the theme of Coming of Age. In coming to terms with her other name, Maame, Maddie decides to embrace it as a building block to becoming Maddie. These two identities are intertwined—therefore, there’s no need to divide the self. Maddie’s embrace of Maame is her way of forgiving James and her mother for leaving her to take care of her father and the family’s financial situation for years. By letting go of resentment, she can forge new relationships with her remaining family.
Speaking of family, Maddie’s mother starts opening up about her childhood, which reminds Maddie that her mother is her own person with external and internal conflicts. Rather than dismiss Maddie’s feelings as a problem to deal with in church, she acknowledges these feelings and encourages Maddie to pursue happiness. Maddie and her mother are different people, but through therapy and open conversation, Maddie learns she can accept and appreciate these differences. She forgives her mother for not being more present, and they start a new relationship. As for Maddie’s father, a plot twist reveals he left her 50,000 pounds. This financial reward is a gift of gratitude, a way for him to provide for the daughter who cared for him.
Another plot twist resolves Maddie’s professional life. Upon learning that Kris actively advocated for her, rather than stole her pitches, she finally stands up for herself. She spent years silencing herself to make others feel comfortable, but voicing her wants to Penny is a moment of empowerment. By the end of the novel, Maddie is on her way to a promotion. While her workplace proves supportive, she learns that one must stand up for themselves even in such spaces. She also takes a chance by writing a book about her father. Maddie has spent her whole life keeping her family dynamics a secret because she knows they differ from other British families. Maddie’s draft symbolizes a shift in this dynamic, as, rather than keep her family a secret, she will share them with the world.
Maddie also finds resolution in her personal life. She eases the tension between her and Jo, understanding that both of them were culpable in the deterioration of their friendship. She moves in with Nia, allowing her a supportive home. With Sam, Maddie learns how to enjoy sex. Sam is empathetic and doesn’t judge her for having difficult experiences. He helps her become more comfortable with her body, with Maddie’s climax representing her new selfhood. Because he has proven trustworthy, sex becomes more meaningful and therefore more pleasurable. There was never anything wrong with Maddie or her sexuality: Sex is complicated, even more so when done out of obligation rather than passion. Sam allows Maddie to grow in her own time because he genuinely cares about her, unlike Ben and Alex. By coming to terms with Cultural Identity and Belonging through Coming of Age via trial and hardship, she learns how to live A Balanced, Happy Life.
