Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi tells the story of Gifty, a neuroscience PhD student who is trying to understand addiction, depression, and faith through both her personal experiences and her scientific research. After her brother Nana dies from an opioid addiction and her mother falls into deep depression, Gifty is left to deal with her grief on her own. She turns to science to make sense of the suffering around her while also struggling with her Ghanaian Christian beliefs. The novel explores important themes like trauma, emotional repression, addiction, the conflict between faith and science, and the search for meaning.

This case study compares the themes in Transcendent Kingdom with a scientific study titled “The Association Between Type of Trauma, Level of Exposure and Addiction” by Yafit Levin and others. The study looks at how different kinds of trauma both direct and indirect are connected to addiction. It finds that people who experience personal trauma like abuse or violence are more likely to develop substance or behavioral addictions. It also shows that even witnessing trauma, like watching a loved one suffer, can increase the risk. These findings support a deeper understanding of addiction as a response to pain rather than simply a matter of choice.

In the novel, Nana becomes addicted to opioids after a sports injury, but his trauma runs deeper. He and Gifty grow up watching their immigrant parents struggle with racism, money problems, and cultural differences. Their father eventually returns to Ghana, secretly abandoning his family. This abandonment, along with their daily struggles, creates long-lasting emotional wounds. After Nana dies, Gifty’s mother becomes emotionally distant and severely depressed, forcing Gifty to become independent and emotionally closed off. She pours herself into science, studying reward-seeking behavior in mice to find biological explanations for addiction and depression.

The scientific study connects directly to Gifty’s life. It confirms that trauma, especially ongoing or repeated trauma can change brain function and behavior, leading to addiction. Gifty’s research is a reflection of this idea. Although she does not use drugs herself, she is deeply affected by her brother’s addiction and her mother’s mental illness. Her emotional response obsessively turning to science for answers is a different kind of coping. The study supports her approach by showing that trauma influences reward-seeking behaviors, the same patterns she tries to describe from her lab.

However, one thing the study doesn’t address is faith. Gifty continues to pray and reflect on her religious upbringing, even as she relies more on scientific methods. This spiritual struggle adds a layer of complexity to her story that science alone doesn’t explain. The novel reminds us that while science can help us understand the brain and behavior, it doesn’t always answer the deeper emotional and spiritual questions people have when facing pain.

By comparing Transcendent Kingdom with a real-world scientific study, we can better understand how trauma can shape addiction and emotional responses. The novel adds depth to the science by showing how culture, family, and faith also play a role in how people deal with suffering. Together, literature and science give us a fuller picture of how trauma affects the human experience.

Levin, Yafit, et al. “The Association Between Type of Trauma, Level of Exposure and Addiction.” Addictive Behaviors, vol. 118, 2021, p. 106882. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106882.