If you’ve read Transcendent Kingdom I’d love to hear your thoughts. In short, I wanted so much more from nearly every facet of this book. Again, the story alludes to this discontentment, but never goes all the way with it. Another thread to this story is that of the second generation immigrant – Gifty came to America at a very young age so has no real connection to Ghana, but also feels a sense of displacement in America. I loved the concept of the story, but was ultimately left empty and unattached. Perhaps its because Gifty is emotionally closed off or because she is a scientist who looks at situations factually, but the writing was too flat and uninvolved to elevate this book for me.
This happens time and time again as the family experiences blatant racism, abandonment by the patriarch of the family, and the pitfalls of addiction. As an example, Gifty describes finding her mother suicidal and overcome with grief, but describes the scene so factually that I was not able to feel that despair along with her. What was missing for me was an emotional depth that never came to be. The style is that of a memoir – we spend most of our time in Gifty’s head, reading about her as she walks through these experiences. Gifty is a gifted neuroscience student, studying addiction in mice as a way to heal and better understand her brother’s inability to recover. The story centres around Gifty who is caring for her deeply depressed Ghanaian mother in the aftermath of her brother’s death by overdose. Gyasi has crafted a story aimed at addressing some pretty heavy subject matter: depression, grief, addiction, and the immigrant experience (from multiple generations). I also value respectful criticism when required, which I’ll try to provide here.
It’s hard for me to rate books below 3 stars as I have a deep respect for those who share their vulnerability and put their work out into the world. I believe there’s a reader for every book, but in this case this just wasn’t for me. I’ll preface by saying that I know is an unpopular opinion, and that Yaa Gyasi is very loved and respected.
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