Transcendent Kingdom is Yaa Gyasi's profoundly intimate exploration of a Ghanaian family settled in Alabama, grappling with the complex interplay of faith, science, and the mechanisms of grief. Gifty, a neuroscience PhD candidate, investigates addiction and depression through her lab work, looking for scientific answers to life's painful questions. Such research is deeply personal, driven by the harrowing loss of her brother to opioid abuse and her mother's crushing depression. As Gifty endeavors to comprehend her family's afflictions, she also wrestles with their evangelical background and the promises of divine salvation that both entice and elude her. This meticulously layered narrative delves into themes of immigration, identity, and the perennial quest for healing and meaning amidst tragedy.