Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

285 reviews

leonormsousa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I really liked this one. It is beautifully written, and the constant time jumps were done perfectly, which is something quite rare. It hooked me from the start, and I found myself wanting more at the end, even though I know this was the perfect size for this story.

Small note that I was pleasantly surprised by the queer representation in this one (MC is queer). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

thiccadonna's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was such a deep reflection on faith and belonging seen through the lense of a family of west african immigrants shattered by a certain event

(the older brother's overdose)

. Gyasi explores those feelings of alienation, from the community back "home", from the new community steeped in racism, from a God that's both all encompassing and also absent in a church that ostracizes and withholds grace from people deemed "unworthy" or "unfit", from the self after the shattering of grief, and she does so with brio. Weaving between past and present, Gyasi ponders on faith, on family, on trauma and addiction and the handling of mental health, all through the perspective of a black family, while offering this poignant and nuanced character portrait of the main character. Not an easy read but a truly engaging one.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use and Suicide attempt

gottheblues's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Racism and Sexism

mrlsdevos's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Dementia and Death of parent

skylerreads28's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is not an easy read if you have any type of strained relationship with your mother. Or religious trauma. Luckily for me I have both! I enjoyed this read and it gave me a thought to think about as I read. I had hoped more would happen, so the ending fell flat for me, almost like the story was given up, but the ending was also fitting for the story and I was happy to see Gifty got the life she worked so hard for. All her work came full circle and in a way that was healing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racial slurs and Racism

stellef's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Grief

siebensommer's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

my need to diy my mother‘s mental health 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

Minor: Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

katrinarose's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was raw, beautiful, and heartbreaking in a way I didn’t expect. It’s more like a character study or fictional memoir than a plot-driven novel, with scenes jumping from present to past in all different stages of the main character Gifty’s life. It’s so well done that I feel like Gifty is a real person I could meet. The narrative is all of Gifty’s inner thoughts and we see her struggle with her brother’s addiction and death, her mother’s depression, her father’s absence, and her own religion and faith especially now as a neuroscientist. I would highly recommend it if you enjoy literary character-driven books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Suicide attempt

amgarrido's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Death

emerentina's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use