Through Gyasi’s fantastic interplay of scientific study and life-spanning narrative, she crafts a character who, like so many who have taken a step back from their faith, does not simply or stubbornly 'fell the long-growing tree of her belief' without a struggle. Gyasi writes about life as it is lived, in the details.

Gyasi creates characters that are fully human: real people with real pain, schoolgirl journals filled with years of entries addressed to God, smell-induced memories that haunt. presses hard against your chest, a literary confluence of loss and the undying miracle of human resilience. Transcendent Kingdom is an evocative portrayal of the immigrant experience and an astutely written character study of an individual reconciling with her past, along with her struggle with faith and science. Gyasi manages the uphill task of not only meeting the expectations of her best seller debut, but also surpassing it. Gifty’s narration as a high-achieving Black neuroscientist, an anomaly in itself, highlights the prejudice against women in the field of scientific research. One of the most appealing things about the narrative, which might be attributed to her scrupulously objective mind, is how self-aware and discerning our protagonist is about her various foibles.However, as most introspective narratives go, this style runs the risk of being discursive. broaches the divide between neuroscience and psychology with shrewd clear sightedness.

sensitively tackles the subject of how mental illness and therapy in particular is still frowned upon and very much a taboo subject among ethnic communities. The only weakness of Transcendent Kingdom comes at its rather too-tidy conclusion, but this is a slight quibble in a novel that insightfully explores many pressing issues of our time, and in marrying science with faith, explores the limits and possibilities of both. Gifty’s relationship with her mother is also unusual and deeply affecting. Just as Gyasi unflinchingly spotlights the failures of evangelicalism, she casts an equally critical eye on the knee-jerk scorn with which atheists can sometimes treat religion.

Gyasi’s portrayal of Gifty's spiritual journey is refreshing in that a negative experience with her church does not cause her to reject Christianity altogether, though she wrestles mightily with her faith. While these themes may not make for the lightest read, there is hope in Gifty’s journey and a call for empathy. Gyasi excels at showing the interwoven nature of these evils and the stress they place on Black lives.

Transcendent kingdom book review