Transcendent Kingdom

This novel was completely different from Homegoing, the authors debut. But it was equally as impressive. This novel follows Gifty, raised by Ghanaian parents in Alabama, Texas. This is a very understated, slow novel that muses on a plethora of topics such as addition issues, the opioid crisis in the US in particular, the religious vs scientific debate, racism in the US, mental illness and the complexity of familial relationships. Gifty thrusts herself into the scientific world of neuroscience and spends the majority of the novel hiding away in her university laboratory, experimenting on lab rats. She socially isolates herself from people and from her formative years being raised in a very religious upbringing by hiding herself in the security of science. I found the emotional losses in her life and her need to protect herself from others as a result very interesting. I also found the themes raised in this book and the beautiful way Yaa Gyasi was able to write about them incredibly remarkable and it made for a stunning, highly impactful reading experience.

Thanks to the author Yaa Gyasi, Penguin UK and NetGalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.