Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Gifty is a fifth-year candidate in neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after a knee injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her.
But even as she turns to the hard sciences to unlock the mystery of her family’s loss, she finds herself hungering for her childhood faith and grappling with the evangelical church in which she was raised, whose promise of salvation remains as tantalizing as it is elusive. Transcendent Kingdom is a deeply moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian immigrants ravaged by depression and addiction and grief–a novel about faith, science, religion, love. Exquisitely written, emotionally searing, this is an exceptionally powerful follow-up to Gyasi’s phenomenal debut.
Whenever I think of my mother, I picture a queen-sized bed with her lying in it, a practiced stillness filling the room.
When I read Yaa Gyasi’s debut, Homegoing, a couple years ago I just knew that she would become an autobuy author for me. I have been impatiently waiting for her sophomore novel, and let me tell you that Transcendent Kingdom was well worth the wait. It is impossible to compare the two books, as they are so completely different. The range that Gyasi has is incredible!
The way that Transcendent Kingdom is written makes it feel as though you are reading a memoir rather than a work of fiction. There is something about it that feels deeply personally and allows to you connect with Gifty on a different level.
This book tackles some interesting themes, but what stood out to be was the conflict between religion and science and how those two entities can merge together. This is something that Gifty is trying to balance in her own life, and it was compelling to watch these two sides pull her in different directions.
There is also a lot of discussion around mental health and addiction. I thought Yaa Gyasi did an incredible job of capturing that feeling of wanting to so desperately help someone but not have the ability to do so. Gifty started her research in response to her brother’s addiction, and she has some complicated feelings about that. As you can see, there is a lot to unpack within the pages of Transcendent Kingdom, and it is a book I will be thinking about for a long time.
I own both a physical copy and the audiobook (thanks to Libro fm!) and Bahni Turpin is the narrator. Turpin is hands down my favourite narrator, so I went back and forth between reading psychically and listening. It was a great way to take in this story.
- Characters: 9
- Atmosphere/Setting: 8
- Writing Style: 10
- Plot: 8
- Intrigue: 9
- Logic/Relationships: 9
- Enjoyment: 9
Overall CAWPILE score: 62/7=8.9
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I want to read her works. Haven’t yet. Loved your review!
Thank you! She’s amazing!
I’m happy to hear you liked it! I thought she handled the religion/faith aspect really well!
So did I! A really interesting conversation.
I loved Homegoing and I’m so looking forward to this one. It’s really interesting that you said it feels more like a memoir than fiction – as you said she really has such a range. Great review!
Thank you. Would be curious to hear your thoughts on this one!
This has been on my 2020 books list. Great review
Thank you!
I love the way you have your book reviews set up! It’s so easy to read.
Great review! This book sounds very heart wrenching. I’ll have to add it to my tbr!
That makes me so happy to hear! I think it’s well worth the read. And thank you! It’s taken me awhile to find a format I like.
This sounds amazing!! I love the way you structure the reviews. I have not heard of this author but I’m so keen to check out her work after reading your post. Thank you.
Great review! I should try this new to me author one day.
Thank you!
I’m so glad to see this one lived up to expectations for you, and am definitely intrigued by your note that it’s such a different story from Homegoing! Authors trying new things (and doing them well!) is always thrilling to see. I’m planning to read this one early next month, and have a lot of excitement for it. Great review!
Awesome! After seeing how different this was to Homegoing, I cannot wait to see what she writes next.
This book was a recommendation from my Book Club. Based on your review, I think I’ll circle back around and purchase it. Thank you for aharing.
Awesome! Can’t wait to see what you think.
Glad to see that you like it so much. I’m eager to read it, but I’m trying to be patient and wait for the paperback. I have a feeling that I’ll end up loving everything she writes.
I have the same feeling. She’s incredible!