6 Books Like Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Best Readalikes)

So you read this brilliant novel by Yaa Gyasi and, now you’re on the hunt for books like Transcendent Kingdom? Welcome!

Recommending readalikes can be a tricky process, but as I said in the first post in this series, I enjoy the process of finding similar threads running through even books that appear different on the surface. Today’s pick is a new release by Ghanaian author, Yaa Gyasi, a story about the intersection of faith and science, and the grief of losing a son and brother to the opioid epidemic. If you haven’t read it yet, read my full review here, and then go buy it!

Here’s my readalike criterion: Each book I recommend must have at least three strong similarities with the beloved title. For each recommended book, I’ll also highlight major differences to keep in mind, just in case they might put you off.

Without further ado, if you loved this book, here are more books like Transcendent Kingdom.

Books Like Transcendent Kingdom

A Place for Us

Similarities

A son with drug misuse issues
Strong sibling relationships
Inner struggle with faith
Parent-child conflicts
Immigrant parents adjusting to life in America
Same haunting feeling

Differences

Middle-Eastern, not African family
Multiple POV narration
Muslim family, not Christian

Ghana Must Go

Similarities

Features a Ghanaian family
Set in Ghana and the US
Features several mental health disorders
Also features a character who misuses drugs
Strong matriarch character

Differences

Much larger family
More focused on family dysfunction and secrets

Salt Houses

Similarities

Similar grief theme
Palestinian family immigrates to the US
Story follows a family over decades
Strong themes of migration and feelings of displacement

Differences

There’s more love, romance, and family in this one

Everything Here Is Beautiful

Similarities

Focuses on a strong sibling relationship
One sister supports another through mental health relapses
Themes of migration and displacement
Same feelings of melancholy run through most of this book

Differences

Bipolar disorder/schizophrenia, not drug misuses
Asian family, and really the focus is on both sisters
Multiple POV narration

The Namesake

Similarities

Family migrating from India to the US
Their son tries to find his place in society as an Indian-American
Focus on relationships between parents and children
Excellent observations on immigrant life

Differences

Indian-American family
No science or faith intersection
No significant drug misuse

Everything I Never Told You

Similarities

Strong themes of family, focus on parent-sibling relationships/sibling-sibling relationships
Death of a sibling
Family secrets
Parental separation

Differences

Asian family
Murder mystery
Historical fiction

And that’s a wrap: 6 books like Transcendent Kingdom! For many of these selections, I chose books that gave me that same feeling of sadness, with a twinge of hope. All of these books feature families, large or small, and strong sibling relationships. They’re also backlist brilliant literary fiction releases that you’re sure to have access to. I hope you find one that floats your boat.

Which of these selections have you read and enjoyed? Would you recommend any of these to readers who enjoyed Transcendent Kingdom? I’d love to hear your own readalikes for Transcendent Kingdom!