π π¬π #25: A bestselling author from Ghana
Yaa Gyasi's intimate second novel about addiction
Welcome to Bookmarked, a weekly newsletter following my journey as I read one book from every country. If youβre enjoying my project, Iβd love it if you shared Bookmarked with a friend.
Yaa Gyasiβs Transcendent Kingdom is a raw and deeply intimate novel about Gifty, a neuroscience PhD student at Stanford who is dealing with the grief of a brother lost to addiction and a mother immobilised by depression.
When Giftyβs mother is randomly selected for permanent US residency, she moves from Ghana to Alabama with her son, Nana. Theyβre soon joined by Giftyβs father, though he doesnβt stay for long, returning to Ghana when Gifty is still a child, leaving his wife to find work and raise two children alone.
Gifty grows up in the shadow of Nana, a talented sports player who develops an opioid addiction following a minor basketball injury in high school.
Nana got hooked on the OxyContin; that much became clear to my mother about two months in when he asked to go back to the doctor for a second refill. She said no, and then she found more hidden in his light fixture. She thought the problem would just go away, because what do we know about addiction? What, other than the βjust say noβ campaigns, was there to guide us through the jungle of this?
Giftyβs mother tries everything she can to help, pleading with her son, sending him to a rehabilitation camp, and praying, but nothing works and eventually Nana dies of a heroin overdose. Gifty is 11-years-old and her mother, who has thus far exhibited almost superhuman strengthβbathing her 16-year-old son without judgement when he becomes incapable of doing so himselfβfades away as depression takes hold of her.
The story of Gifty and her mother is told in a beautifully woven narrative, switching between Giftyβs early memories of Nanaβs death with her present day life as a neuroscientist researching reward-seeking behaviour in mice. Driven by her will to understand what happened to her brother and what is still happening to her mother, who is bedridden and staying with her, Gifty turns her back on the evangelical church within which she was raised and dedicates her career to searching for the answers within science.
Transcendent Kingdom is a truly heartbreaking book. Some of its scenesβlike when Giftyβs parents hide food around their home because they canβt afford to keep up with their childrenβs growing appetites, and when Gifty and her mother struggle to lift a drug-addled six foot ten Nana into their car while passersby watch without helpingβwill stay with me for a long time. Gyasiβs writing is luminous and so many lines in this book pack an absolutely gut-wrenching punch.
Gyasi, who herself moved from Ghana to Alabama at the age of two, paints a masterful portrait of the complexities of dealing with addiction, whilst also exploring themes of religion, science, racism, poverty, and mental health. Gifty is one of the most fully-realised characters Iβve read: sheβs mean, tender, hostile, and in desperate need of affection all at once. This is a book that really hit me hard.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (YNG Books, 2020)
More books by Ghanaian authors
Hereβs a list of the other recommendations I got this week:
Changes: A Love Story by Ama Ata Aidoo
Harmattan Rain by Ayesha Harruna Attah
Definition of a Miracle by Farida N. Bedwei
The Housemaid by Amma Darko
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie
Bineti by Selassie Mensah
Cloth Girl by Marilyn Heward Mills
A Time to Part by Ama Pomaa
What have you read recently?
If youβve read a brilliant book in translation or want to pass on a recommendation, Iβd love to hear about it! For this project, Iβm focussing on contemporary fiction and short stories, with a preference for female authorsβbut I wonβt be too dogmatic about it so do share recommendations that donβt quite fit the bill, too.
You can get in touch by replying to this email or leaving a comment. Iβll be featuring your recommendations in upcoming newsletters, and Iβll keep a growing listΒ here.
Bookmarked is written by Tabatha Leggett. Thank you to Meli Eyram Portia Mansu from the Goethe-Institut Ghana for her recommendations for this weekβs issue. If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them!