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pollyflorence's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Reading this just confirmed to me that Yaa Gyasi is one of my favourite writers and I’ll definitely be picking up anything she writes in the future. The way she crafts a story is masterful and this novel— a slow, lyrical, non linear exploration of addiction, faith and grief and how those things shape our lives— reads almost like a memoir, it feels so real. The subject matter was very close to home, but in a good way, reading this felt like being seen. Without a doubt— my favourite of the year so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Suicide attempt
wai's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As a psychology person, I always go into media focused on this field with a bit of trepidation because most get it totally wrong and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. But when I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to give it a try, and I'm so glad that I did. This book is meticulously researched and reads true to form for anyone involved in the fields of psychology/mental health and/or neuroscience and embedded organically in the internal strife of the main character, Gifty, who's stuck between her future as a brilliant neuroscientist and her past/current family trauma of having an older brother die young from a substance use disorder and a mother with severe depression and suicidality but only accepts help through the form of religious intervention. I found so much of my own struggles with generational mental illness and the religion vs science debate. Multiple moments in this novel made me stop for fear of crying. This has honestly become my favorite novel of 2020 and I find it difficult to really put words to what I am feeling beyond just that I want to recommend this book to everyone I know. This is the kind of novel you recommend when you want someone to know you better. I am now a Yaa Gyasi stan and will now proceed to follow her writing for as long as she is publishing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, Suicide, Racial slurs, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Physical abuse and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death and Forced institutionalization
piperlee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Transcendent Kingdom is a beautifully raw account of what it means to move on from a childhood in a family struggling with drug abuse and depression. Gifty, the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants, has devoted her post-grad life to challenging herself in a lab studying the neuroscience behind reward-seeking behavior, while simultaneously struggling with her understanding of God, dealing with memories of her lost brother, and caring for her depressed mother. I loved the author’s masterful mix of scientific language with more abstract depictions of spirituality, all the while tying them both together inside the complicated and emotional background of the main character. The writing felt true - nothing forced or hard to believe - simply a narrative in which we can glimpse the resilience within Gifty’s life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal death
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