The truth about why I ALMOST put both Writers and Lovers and Queenie down? I have a hard time with protagonists who don’t have their external shit together. If you’re stabbing yourself in the foot by cutting off all your friends, ruining your love life, struggling with your family–I’m there. If you’re sabotaging yourself by screwing up your education or career, I have less patience with you (“You” being the protagonist in the story). Transcendent Kingdom has many of the same finding-one’s adult self elements that Queenie and Writers and Lovers share, but with a protagonist who is 100 percent together on the external front. Plus–it’s every bit as good as everyone says, a very personal, first-person story that covers huge overarching issues of addiction, systemic racism and immigration. Hard recommend.