I honestly do not know where to begin in reviewing this book. I will honestly need a re-read of this (and I hardly re-read books) but this made such a profound impression on me, not just the story but Gyasi's writing and thorough understanding of the universe and the human psyche, that I honestly couldn't quite speak well after finishing reading this. Beautifully written, the book sets to explore and in a way even reconcile science and spirituality in this often gut-punching story of a sister's recollection of her growing up black in America. Despite the tragic elements that may rule the plot, the honesty and the rawness of the writing provokes the reader to ponder and examine social constructs that have been set in place to discriminate and demote whole ethnic groups. Wonderful novel, one that truly stays with you long after you've finished reading it.

This book really is something. I've had [book:Homegoing|27071490] on my list from the moment this novel was released. Yaa Gyasi is a Ghanaian- American author and the two books she has written take place in both the US and Ghana.

In the case of Transcendent Kingdom, it mostly takes place in the US. We follow Grifty. Her parents have moved to the US when her brother Nana was young and when she wasn't even born. The story this novel this is one of grief. Years after her parents have moved to the US her father hasn't been able to put down roots so he returns to Ghana, and her brother Nana has had struggles of his own and passes away.

What I liked about this story is the fact that it's really small in scope, yet grand in what it's trying to say. We follow Grifty at university where she's working on her research with mice, but the parallels this research has with her life are heartbreaking.

The way her mum deals with the hardships and the way she does is really well-told by Yaa Gyasi. I really should read her previous novel, and I'll keep my eyes out for her future releases.

A beautiful book. The story is about Gifty, a research PhD student at Stanford University, who is investigating the science behind addiction, and depression. The driving force behind this subject is her family, her family history. Her mother moved from Ghana to Alabama before she was born, and we see her and her older brother Nana grow up as immigrants in America. It’s a very moving story. Character driven, strong sense of place and such powerful emotion. I highly recommend this book.

I absolutely loved this book. While it took a chapter or two to get into it, once there I was absolutely hooked. it is so well written and such an engaging story. It tells the story of Gifty, born in Alabama of Ghanaian parents. It tells of her relationship with God, her church, her mother, her brother and her friends.The story grows as she grows . Her love for her brother is heart breaking as he falls into the perils of addiction. She is a bright able student who gets to attend Harvard and Stamford, dreaming of a successful future. An insightful look into someones life which is thought provoking and riveting. An author to follow.

A story of family, survival and the desperate measures we take to overcome our grief. Transcendent Kingdom deals with the age-old battle of religion versus science, as Gifty examines her relationship with God and science, following the death of her brother due to overdose and the mental collapse of her mother into depression. The book tackles some rather hard-hitting topics, but in a sensitive and poignant way, nothing felt gratuitous. It strikes the perfect balance between questioning and belief and resonated with my own experiences when my father passed. A slower and less complicated book but full of heart.

This book was first published last year and since has featured in many prominent lists. I got an advance copy thanks to NetGalley and the UK publishers of the version released this year. All this hype did not exactly affect my reading but did have me setting my expectations at an all-time high.
The writing was very interesting. For one thing, the words used and the images thrown up were quite simple, while at the same time emotionally complex. I did not do much research about the storyline and so found the discussion of the lead protagonists faith unexpected. This usually throws me off a book, but not in this case. Gifty (and maybe the author) know what they get from how they understand and practice their faith. It is shown parallelly to the life she leads, and although they do not seem compatible on the surface, the endurance is contemplated. I am spending so long on this aspect because I felt like it was the focal point of the entire narrative, with the concept of addiction being a close second.
Gifty is the daughter of immigrants, and her mother has gone back into depression. She works in a lab and is highly educated but with her mother's state of mind being the way it is, has Gifty thinking back about her past. A lot is tackled here in pieces, with time moving back and forth, which worked only half the time for me. I felt moved by all the trials that the family underwent and just felt like the last bit was a little rushed. This is probably the only reason I did not give it a full five stars.
I know that the author's writing style and imagery were very vivid, and I would probably love to read another book by her.

This book is not a fast pace read.
This book is not action packed.
This book has a pretty cover yet with nothing pretty about it inside.
Let me start by saying, the book is sad and heart wrenching yet beautifully crafted.

What it is is a profound character driven look at Gifty the protagonist's desperate bid to understand living with the effects of growing up in an immigrant family in Alabama, where love and affection was not displayed or found in any abundance. When tragedy hits when her brother dies of an overdose. Gifty makes it her life’s mission to understand depression and addiction. To come to terms with the grief that plagues her and her parents Gifty fervently / tirelessly ploughs her energy into science, and grapples with her evangelistic faith based foundations from childhood and questions whether faith and science can exist side by side. It reads like a scientific experiment. It's extraordinary. And most certainly a unique piece of fiction that I have ever read.

I loved this book.

It is a relatively short read at 256 pages but boy does it pack some heart wrenching punch. I enjoyed the pace, with the second half really holding me captive. There is hope through the heartbreak. I thought Gifty was a rich character in all her brokenness. What she lacked in self esteem she showed great strength and intelligence and courage.

I read Homegoing before this and I can say it is a completely different book. Not worthy to be compared by one another as each deals with such deep and emotionally driven topics of great difference. What is relatable is Gyasi’s ability to break down these deep themes with ease without it becoming heavy or dragging. It is so raw and it left me questioning if Gyasi has experienced this kind of familial loss and addition herself?

This book deserves all praise. It is no wonder at all it is shortlisted for the women’s prize. Thank you Yaa Gyasi for blessing us all with your wondrous talents. I am ready and excited for whatever she is to write next. You have my eyes, ears and heart open and waiting.

Thank you to NetGalley and @vikingbooksuk for giving me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, so this book is so stunning. Is that weird to say considering it touches on addiction and depression? Probably, but I just found Yaa Gyasi’s writing so beautiful. Often, as we all know, there’s a particular stigma surrounding mental health and addiction. So for one, I loved that Gyasi wrote a novel fully focused on these difficult topics. She didn’t sugar coat the two which made the novel so realistic and raw.

Whilst a lot of the book focuses on Gifty’s relationship with her mother and brother, the reader also gets an insight of how these illnesses can affect those looking after them. Throughout, Gifty is always thinking about her mother and she is desperate to do everything she can to keep her alive, whilst in the meantime, Gifty is unable to settle in her own life.

Although I’m not too clued up on the science behind the two illnesses, Gyasi’s writing allowed me to think I was! Her writing made it seem so simple and most important, interesting. We all love a novel that you learn from right?

The theme of religion throughout the novel also played a big part, as Gifty was clearly struggling with conflicting religious ideologies; constantly questioning if God existed. I’m sure being brought up within a highly religious family was one thing, but to then turn to science could certainly make things confusing.

Overall, the novel was highly moving and will certainly not be forgotten. After loving this book so much, I better get a move on and read Homegoing by Gaysi!

Transcendent Kingdom 🌸

Ad - I was given an advance e-copy through netgalley but really needed my own physical copy to finish as it was so beautiful.

At this point I’ll just read anything Yaa Gyasi writes. With Homegoing being one of my favourite books I read last year I have been so looking forward to the release of her second novel, Transcendent Kingdom.

This book tells the story of a Ghanaian immigrant family in Alabama, fighting depression, addiction and grief.

This was very different to Homegoing with a much more contemporary feeling and I loved that about it.

I adored the explorations of the connections between religion and science. How these can interrelate and support or diverge from each other is always something that has interested me.

The pain of addiction within a family was heartbreaking and I felt every word of Gifty’s experiences because Yaa Gyasi has such a way of making you share those experiences, even if it’s something you’ve (thankfully) never had to face.

With so many layers to this book I can see a lot of readers connecting with it on some level. It really is quite thought provoking with so much to unpack. It’s definitely one to read slowly so you can absorb every word.

4.5⭐️

Transcendent Kingdom is a character-driven novel told from Gifty's perspective. A fifth-year neuroscience student at Stanford, the book shifts between the past and present as we learn about Gifty's childhood growing up in Alabama. The book delves into her complicated relationship with her family, her Ghanian heritage and her faith. At its core, Transcendent Kingdom is a raw and intimate book about science, religion, family and love.

Now, I think Gyasi had a challenge following on from her powerful and revolutionary debut novel, Homegoing. But Transcendent Kingdom features many of the same qualities, thanks to Gyasi's gifted writing style. Gifty is a strong, caring yet imperfect narrator, and as somewhat who didn't grow up in a religious household, I found her struggles with her faith to be both eye opening and interesting. If you enjoyed Homegoing, I encourage you to read Transcendent Kingdom.

Thank you to Viking Books and NetGalley for the ARC - all opinions are my own.

The story introduces Gifty, a PhD candidate in neuroscience who is studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and neural activity related to depression and addiction. On the face of it, it sounds like fascinating and valuable work but there is a personal motivation for Gifty’s choice of subject area. Her brother Nana, a talented high school athlete tragically died of a heroin overdose, after becoming addicted to painkillers following a sports injury.

Rooted in Ghanaian heritage but with an American upbringing, Gifty is an amalgamation of her engrained religious faith, steadfast science and the turbulent mother-daughter dynamics that have been strained by tragedy, which is incredibly well reflected in Gifty’s character and her relationships with others. I really enjoyed the level of detail the story goes into in relation to the science Gifty is working on, and the fact that her motivations are so personal makes it all the more significant to read about. Gifty’s aptitude for science, alongside the religious teachings of her upbringing were also interesting to read set alongside each other, especially as these often conflicting factions are so important to Gifty’s life.

Yaa Gyasi has an amazing way of creating believable characters, who in the face of adversity manage to get through or at least are well on their way to some form of personal peace. Transcendent Kingdom was recently (at the time of writing) longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021 and I have no doubt this book is sure to win or be listed for a number of book awards over the coming year. Following an incredible debut, Yaa Gyasi’s stunning second novel is a powerfully moving story about depression and addition, and the path to move forward through grief.

In her second novel, Yaa Gyasi changes tack and approaches her writing in a completely different way. I know many, including myself, expected something similar to her debut Homegoing, but honestly I was pleasantly surprised to see a whole new ballgame. A handful of characters and one perspective allowed her to write a very introspective novel which was an absolute delight to read. Despite the heavy themes explored in the book, I was totally absorbed.

Transcendent Kingdom tells the story of a family of Ghanaian immigrants to the United States. It's told from the perspective of Gifty, the daughter of the family. She's studying neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine, doing research on reward-seeking behaviour in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. What led her to pursue this path is the death of her brother Nana of heroin overdose. Her father abandoned them at a young age, fleeing back to Ghana, and her mother fell into serious depression after her brother's death, and so Gifty has been left to deal with the aftermath of it all.

By plunging us into the specifics of Gifty's research, we find out about the past and the family life. It was really disturbing to find out that Nana used to be a gifted high school athlete and only fell into addiction following a knee injury that left him hooked on OxyContin. How unfair and also provoking anger at the medical system that allows for strong drugs to reach the young and vulnerable. Her mother's ongoing mental illness battle was another difficult theme to grope with. One can't help but empathise.

I also enjoyed Gifty's frequent forays of investigating religion and science side by side. These two irreconcilable things offered her support, but each proved lacking on its own.

This is a book that has a lot of weight, tackling heavy themes head on, but it's easily readable and Gyasi's writing once again proves hypnotising. I wasn't surprised that Gyasi used her friend's research in the real world as a foundation stone for the book. It's realistic because it's real.

One thing I wished for was to have been able to read Nana's perspective, but I can totally see why Gyasi has decided to tell a one-sided story. It's focused and allows for a true depth of character. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted digital copy.

I find this book hard to rate and review. I enjoyed it yet found the lack of traditional story arc hard to follow at times. This is a book which tackles some heavy topics - addiction, religion and mental health. I found it pretty easy to get into and read but not particularly gripping.

The main character, Gifty, easily weaves together the story of her life and choices from her childhood to becoming a successful scientific researcher. On the way I learnt of the toll emigration took on her family and her identity, about why and how her religious identity was shaped by her experience of racism and loss, and the influence this had on her research and hopes for the future.

Each character is flawed and deeply human. For me, this means I got to really to know Gifty and those that were important to her with little judgment and a fair share of compassion.

As a huge fan of Homegoing ( which I recommend to everyone) I was excited for a new novel by Yaa Gyasi. For some reason it’s taken me a few months to get round to reading it. I think If I’m honest I was put off by the title, and maybe the cover. It somehow didn’t seem to pull me in. But I’m grateful for the Women’s Prize judges once again who by longlisting this for the 2021 prize gave me a bit more insight on the contents.

I loved it.

Weaving together neuroscience, religion, addiction, race, family in an exquisitely written and short novel there is so much to admire in these pages. The story of Gifti who grows up in Alabama, alongside her mother, father and brother Nana who all, unlike her, lived originally in Ghana. Despite being born in the US with little connection to Ghana, Gifti is pulled between two worlds, two cultures, fitting into neither comfortably. Family tragedy with addiction and mental health struggles leave her further isolated, but it is the bond with her brother that is so tenderly drawn that broke my heart.

A deeply moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian refugees, overwhelmed by depression, addiction, grief and loss, this wonderful novel from Yaa Gyasi focuses on Gifty, the daughter of the family, now a PhD candidate working on “the neural circuits of reward-seeking behaviour” in mice. Inspired by the drug addiction of her talented athlete brother and her mother’s subsequent depression, she wonders whether science can provide answers, or perhaps it’s the religion of her upbringing that can explain the unexplainable. This pull between science and religion is the backdrop to Gifty’s longing to unlock the mysteries of her family’s disintegration. Never prescriptive or judgmental, the novel is a compelling account of a family in crisis, well-written, well-paced, with believable characters and authentic dialogue. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Yaa Gyasi’s first novel, Homegoing, made a huge stir five years ago. It followed two descending lines of a Ghananian woman over several centuries - crossing from colonial Africa to America and from slavery to the present day. Me, I felt it dominated by structure and theme, and just as we had felt familiar with one group of characters their chapter ended and we moved on another generation. I wondered what she’d do next.
This, her second novel, is immensely more satisfying. It has a tight focus on Gifty - a Ghanian-American neuroscientist researcher, her mother and her brother Nana. Through two timelines we follow Gifty’s relationship with her deeply depressed mother in present day Stanford, and with her mother and brother twenty years previously in Alabama. Their father, Chin-Chin Man, initially accompanies them to America but returns to Ghana.
Gifty is a completely realised character both as a 28-year old scientist and carer for her mother, and as a girl helpless to prevent tragedy enveloping her family. It is a novel that explores religious belief, opioid addiction. and above all how we try and fix the things that have happened to us that we are helpless to change, by the choices we make in the things that we do. It’s a beautifully written novel that doesn’t pull its punches on race, gender, the African disaspora and education any less than its predecessor - but works its themes completely through the lives and interactions of the characters.

I was provided with a free copy of this book via NetGalley for review purposes. Thank you to the author, the publishers and NetGalley for this.

I went into Transcendent Kingdom with high hopes and was not let down. The book explores themes of addiction, grief, science and religion with extreme delicacy and care. The main character, Gifty, is a PhD student studying addiction, her brother died of an overdose when he was a teenager and her mother fell into a deep depression in her grief. The story alternates between the narrating character's childhood and her present day. As she turns away from the evangelical teaching of her childhood religion and towards science, fuelled by a need to understand her brother, she can't seem to break away from it.

As a scientist, more often than not I am frustrated by the portrayal of scientists in literature. They are more often than not almost inhuman, unrelatable, shy, awkward people who do nothing but talk about work and their favourite Sci-Fi movies. In this book, the scientists are totally relatable. I think Yaa Gyasi absolutely nailed it. In fact, I actually assumed whilst reading it that the author must have some history with scientific research herself to have written about it so well, that I was genuinely very shocked to discover she has no background in science.

This book is beautifully written. I was expecting a great read after Homegoing, and Yaa Gyasi has certainly proved herself yet again. I would read her shopping lists.

Such a beautifully written book. I loved Yaa Gyasis first book and this is just as brilliant. Following Gifty as she learns her parents story from Ghana to Alabama, this book swept me along in a story of hope, love, and hardship.

I picked this up after hearing so much praise for this author. It’s a beautifully written story about a woman trying to deal with the grief of losing her brother to addiction and a mother dealing with depression. There’s a lot of questions raised about religion and science through the protagonists though process and her internal journey of grappling with her faith. I did have issues relating to the book , in particular it’s religious elements, it spends a lot of time quoting the bible or scripture or using prayer to solve issues but I did enjoy it overall.