Transcendent Kingdom

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFINALIST FOR WOMEN'S FICTION PRIZELONGLISTED FOR PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTIONLONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARDA BEST BOOK OF 2020Harper’s Bazaar ● NPR ● Good Housekeeping ● Glamour ● Book Riot ● Library Journal ● Washington Post ● Amazon ● Marie Claire ● Kirkus Reviews ● Vanity Fair ● Entertainment Weekly ● Town and Country ● Indigo ● BBC ● USA Today ● Parade ● Real Simple ● Apartment Therapy ● Refinery29"Brilliant. . . . Transcendent Kingdom trades the blazing brilliance of Homegoing for another type of glory, more granular and difficult to name." —Nell Freudenberger, The New York Times Book Review"[Transcendent Kingdom] confirms Gyasi's literary prowess. . . An intensely emotional and deeply vulnerable examination of family, belonging, race, mental illness and addiction, Transcendent Kingdom delves into the mystery of the soul and what ties us to one another. . . . [It] could not differ more in scope, tone, and topic from Gyasi's brilliant 2016 debut Homegoing. She flexes different muscles this time around—Transcendent Kingdom is quiet and introspective, where Homegoing was loud and expansive. It is philosophical rather than historical. And it is soul-wrenching rather than jubilant. [But] there's no sophomore slump here—potent and moving, Transcendent Kingdom shows Gyasi's incredible range and solidifies her place as one of the most enlightened writers of her generation." —Winnipeg Free Press"Meticulous, psychologically complex. . . . At once a vivid evocation of the immigrant experience and a sharp delineation of an individual's inner struggle, the novel brilliantly succeeds on both counts." —Publishers Weekly, starred review"Gyasi's wise second novel pivots toward intimacy. . . . In precise prose, Gyasi creates an ache of recognition, especially for readers knowledgeable about the wreckage of addiction. Still, she leavens this nonlinear novel with sly humor. . . . The author is astute about childhood grandiosity and a pious girl's deep desire to be good; she conveys in brief strokes the notched, nodding hook of heroin's oblivion." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review"The novel is full of brilliantly revealing moments, sometimes funny, often poignant. . . . [Gifty is] provokingly vital." —James Wood, The New Yorker"Profoundly moving. . . . Through deliberate and precise prose, [Transcendent Kingdom] becomes an expansive meditation on grief, religion and family." —The Boston Globe"Gyasi invites us to pause, creating genuine tension while describing the slowness of Gifty's experiments. . . . She reminds us that we cannot always translate mourning for outsiders or call it by its name, but we can transcend from a state of utter loss to, at least, a place of personal reconciliation." —The Atlantic"Laser-like. . . . A powerful, wholly unsentimental novel about family love, loss, belonging and belief that is more focused but just as daring as its predecessor, and to my mind even more successful. . . . [Transcendent Kingdom] is burningly dedicated to the question of meaning. . . . The pressure created gives her novel a hard, beautiful, diamantine luster." —Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal"A book of blazing brilliance . . . of profound scientific and spiritual reflection that recalls the works of Richard Powers and Marilynne Robinson. . . . A double helix of wisdom and rage twists through the quiet lines. . . . Thank God, we have this remarkable novel." —Ron Charles, The Washington Post"A stealthily devastating novel of family, faith and identity that’s as philosophical as it is personal. . . . It’s bravura storytelling by Gyasi, so different in scope, tone and style from her 2016 debut Homegoing. That, too, was brilliant literature, as expansive as Transcendent Kingdom is interior. . . . The range Gyasi displays in just two books is staggering." —USA Today"Elegant. . . . Transcendent Kingdom burrows into the philosophical, exploring with complexity what it might mean for us to live without firm answers to the mysteries that wound us. . . . The measured restraint of Gyasi’s prose makes the story’s challenging questions all the more potent." —The San Francisco Chronicle"Poised to be the literary event of the fall." —Entertainment Weekly"The Homegoing author's new novel works in a completely different register. . . . A book of profound scientific and spiritual reflection, [Transcendent Kingdom] recalls the works of Richard Powers and Marilynne Robinson, though it's anything but derivative. Gyasi's ability to interrogate medical and religious issues in the context of America’s fraught racial environment makes her one of the most enlightening novelists writing today." —The Washington Post"I would say that Transcendent Kingdom is a novel for our time (and it is) but it is so much more than that. It is a novel for all times. The splendor and heart and insight and brilliance contained in the pages holds up a light the rest of us can follow." —Ann Patchett"Absolutely transcendent. A gorgeously woven narrative about a woman trying to survive the grief of a brother lost to addiction and a mother trapped in depression while pursuing her ambitions. Not a word or idea out of place. Completely different from Homegoing. THE RANGE. I am quite angry this is so good." —Roxane Gay"[Transcendent Kingdom] will stay with you long after you've finished it." —Real Simple"Unforgettable. . . . Transcendent Kingdom has an expansive scope that ranges into fresh, relevant territories—much like the title, which suggests a better world beyond the life we inhabit."—BookPage, starred review"A richly layered novel full of seemingly endless stories . . . intensely focused and full of a breathless interiority." —Book Riot"With deft agility andundeniable artistry, Gyasi’s latest is an eloquent examination of resilient survival." —Booklist"Multilayered and beautifully written. . . . Truly a compelling read that you'll think about for weeks to come, Transcendent Kingdom illustrates that life is messy, painful, and sometimes, utterly beautiful. Furthermore, Gyasi weaves in so many metaphysical questions throughout the pages, it will have you pondering about the aspects of life we take for granted. Those who can handle a heavier read will not regret picking up Transcendent Kingdom. Between the incredible narration and easy-to-follow time jumps, it will be a book you think about weeks after finishing it." —PopSugar"[Gyasi] probes the boundaries of despair and grief—and love—to powerful effect in Transcendent Kingdom, revealing the ways we seek to rationalize emotionally incomprehensible things. As Gifty navigates her conflicting desires—reason and faith—Gyasi nimbly shows how human the desire is to reconcile the tragedies that surround us, to search for meaning, and to come to terms with all that we will never know.” —Refinery29"Yaa Gyasi stunned us with her first novel Homegoing, and she proceeds to pull on our heartstrings again with Transcendent Kingdom, a story about family, loss, and faith." —Apartment Therapy"Achingly lovely. . . . This is a quiet, ruminative story, proceeding through its ideas as carefully and deliberately as cautious Gifty proceeds when she makes her way through an experiment. The pleasure of Transcendent Kingdom comes from peeling back all that deliberation." —Vox"[Transcendent Kingdom] offers a powerful perspective on addiction and race. . . . Gyasi's first-person narrative is confiding and atmospheric. . . . An absorbing, moving book." —Financial Times"We saw Yaa Gyasi's incredible talent in Homegoing, but her sophomore novel shows even more depth and range. Transcendent Kingdom is heartbreaking, perspective-changing, and completely unforgettable." —Book Riot"Transcendent Kingdom is a deeply raw, compassionate and intimate novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama, ravaged by addiction, depression and grief. . . . With a laser-like focus on its characters, the author dissects grief with a deft touch, peeling back the layers of human suffering with unsentimental precision. . . . [Transcendent Kingdom] is nothing short of a masterpiece and a work of whispered beauty." —Zoella Book Club