Maddie Wright is the protagonist and narrator of Maame. At 25 years old, she bears responsibility for her family that goes beyond her years. She is the primary caretaker for her beloved father, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Maddie works a low-paying job to help provide for her father and send money to her mother, who lives in Ghana. She is a Ghanaian British woman whose two cultures often clash, as her connection to Ghana has been mostly uprooted by her life in Britain. She no longer speaks Twi and hasn’t visited Ghana in 10 years. The demands of England take precedence, compounded by Maddie’s othering as a Black woman, a minority. Though being Black helps her get job interviews due to demands for diversity, she is often relegated to service work despite her education and expertise. Furthermore, white men fetishize and pursue her due to a racist desire to have sex with a Black woman. Maddie deals with professional and personal microaggressions that further reveal the racism ingrained in society.

Maddie faces external pressures that cause internal turmoil. The stress of caring for her father and watching his health deteriorate, as well as the financial struggles that come with caring for her whole family, leave her feeling isolated.