Book Review: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Transcendent Kingdom

by Yaa Gyasi

🐭🐭🐭🐭🐭 (five stars, as rated in lab mice)

At the outset, I worried that I would not enjoy this book. And even a good third of the way in, I wouldn’t have said that I was terribly invested in it. But Bahni Turpin’s narration was reliably persuasive, and thank goodness for that because, ultimately, the pay-off was worth every ounce of that slow burn.
This story takes place in two timelines; past and present, with very little distinction made as we are thrust between the two. The skill with which Gyasi pulls this off is absolutely incredible. We are brought from one to the other in a way that is so indisputably intentional, yet feels almost effortless. Let me tell you though, my emotions took a dang beating. I feel exhausted by what I just listened to and, honestly, I’m saddest that with this being a new release, I’ll have to wait another year at least before she can put me through it again.
If there was any doubt before, this book has established Yaa Gyasi as one of my favorites. I genuinely can’t believe how much I enjoyed this sensational book.

Content warnings for this book: absent parent, memory loss, death of an animal, animal testing, bullying, depression, hospitalization, death of a sibling, mental illness, pills, addiction, racism

Thanks for reading, friends! What are you currently enjoying?

Best,

Sarah