The Best Book I Read This Year

Some books grab you from the first page and don’t release their hold until long after you’re done reading them. Such is true of Transcendent Kingdom, the sophomore novel by Yaa Gyasi. Her debut Homecoming was so spectacular that I immediately longed for another book by her. So imagine my glee when the release date forTranscendent Kingdom was announced. I preordered it immediately.

For those of you who have read Homecoming or intend to, be aware that Transcendent Kingdom is a vastly different book. Don’t be alarmed though. As beautifully written as Homecoming was, this new offering is. The contrast is a good thing. It shows Gyasi’s range as a writer. Plus, there are still similarities between the books such as the weighty topics Gyasi addresses and that she does so with a lithe hand. Hers is the type of writing that is free from extravagance. She uses simple language to weave a fictional world so vivid you forget it’s not reality. It’s also clear that Gyasi invests extensive research into the subjects she writes about. That thoroughness in getting the details right combined with her storytelling prowess have resulted in two novels that fully captured my attention. Let’s talk Transcendent Kingdom specifically though…

THE SUMMARY

Gifty is a young Ghanian- American scientist and phd candidate researching the neurological factors that contribute to depression and addiction. The driving forces behind Gifty’s scientific interests are her family’s history and her disillusionment with religion. Seeing her brother succumb to drug abuse and her mother subsequently to depression thrust Gifty into a quest for answers, which religion failed to provide her. In addition to turning to science for the sake of understanding, she is also intent on helping others through her work.

THE REVIEW

For many foreigners, migrating to the the U.S. seems like the ultimate come-up but that dream comes with costs. In the case of the main character’s (Gifty’s) family, the costs throw into question whether the rewards are worth it. Not only have they moved from Ghana to the U.S. but to a small, predominantly white Southern town- adding to the already formidable challenges of being black, foreign and African in America. As they struggle to settle into their new environment, they are bewildered by unfamiliar mores and racial realities. This transition is tough for the children of course, but it’s no easier for their parents who aren’t equipped with the tools that might make coping healthier. It doesn’t help that they come from a culture where discussing certain things is taboo. They repress their frustrations and fears. The mother buries herself in religion and work. The father flees to Ghana forcing the mother to carry the parenting burden alone. All these conditions leave the children missing the emotional support of their parents as they stumble through unfriendly spaces. Gyasi is a master at showing how the individual challenges each family member confronts affect the entire family and vice versa in an on going cycle - spouse to spouse, parent to child, child to parent.

Yaa Gyasi also captures the feelings of helplessness and despair that descend upon the loved ones of those dealing with depression and addiction. It was particularly difficult for me to read these pieces of the book because I’m dealing with a loved one’s substance use problem myself. Gyasi’s depiction of how Nana’s addiction not only wreaked havoc in his life but also in the lives of his family was almost too realistic for me. There were moments when I had to put the book down. So if addiction is a sensitive issue for you, bare this in mind. On the other hand, I think it may be helpful to read about both addiction and depression in reference to an African immigrant family because such a representation is not often if ever seen in books.

The personal tragedies Gifty experiences damage her faith in God, which was already cracked by the hypocrisy she saw in the so-called Christians around her. I found the change in her beliefs quite believable and natural. Losing a loved one despite our strongest prayers can not only make us question God’s reasons but also question if there is a God. All the more so for someone who is as analytical as Gifty. The desperation to make sense of her brother’s addiction and her mother’s depression pushes Gifty to explore the human mind. Ironically, the closer she is to connecting the dots in her research, the more she realizes that there are some mysteries Science can not solve. She realizes that despite the advances Science makes, there will always be limits to human understanding. Gifty’s journey with faith was one of my favorite aspects of the story. Given that atheism seems to be a taboo subject in many African cultures, I appreciate how Yaa Gyasi showed these changes in belief from an African person’s perspective. Considering that belief in God, devout adherence to religion (Christianity especially) are typically presented as automatic for African people, the author’s focus on atheism through Gifty’s personal evolution, is equally if not more provocative than her portrayal of addiction.

I think this book is groundbreaking. It can serve as a catalyst for immigrant families to discuss the difficult issues of addiction and depression. Apart from that, it’s simply a great read. The only complaint I have is that I didn’t find the relationship Gifty ends up in convincing. It seemed a bit forced. That’s minor compared to what I did like about Transcendent Kingdom. What do you think about the book?

My rating for this book: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑