From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

Transcendent Kingdom

Yaa Gyasi

Start date: January 1, 2021

Finish date: January 31, 2021

Discussion: Books of the Month

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What Members Thought

Dec 05, 2023 Joyce rated it liked it

Shelves: substance-abuse, ala-suggestion, novel

The writing in this novel is exquisite but it feels like the ending was rushed. A woman is working on her doctorate in neuroscience while seeking to understand why her brother overdosed on heroin and died while he was in high school. It plunged her mother into periodic bouts of depression that she can't seem to overcome. So Gifty tries to figure it all out as she experiments on mice. There is also a strong element of religion winding through the story and the question of faith. How Gifty takes c ...more

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Jan 17, 2021 Karen D rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars, family, health, cultural, lgbt, drugs, zzliteraryfiction, bipoc, bipoc-author

CW: drug overdose, suicide attempt, depression
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Synopsis: Gifty is studying neuroscience, trying to discover the science behind addiction and suffering. Her brother who died of a heroin overdose after a knee injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed.
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Review: This is definitely more character-driven than plot driven - in fact the synopsis covers the entire plot. It sounds depressing, and it is at times, but I really enjoyed it once I got into it.
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Gifty also grew ...more

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