An incredibly varied and touching piece, part wandering philosophical discussion about life and death in the current day and part autobiography. It fails to fit neatly in either box but the philosophical links to the authors everyday life create a beautifully linked story discussing a range of topics.

The thread could be lost at points but it was easy to pick it back up again shortly and there repeating instances/moments throughout that help bring the authors philosophical points to neat conclusions.

Transcendence for Beginners is a philosophical work on life, death, and the act of writing, blending personal reflections with ideas drawn from European and Indian traditions.

As someone often drawn to reflective nonfiction and discussions, I was intrigued by Transcendence for Beginners. The book is divided into six parts, and while not all of them resonated equally with me, I found Life Writing, The Milieu, and Incarnations particularly interesting. Life Writing is the one that stood out for me most of all - as an avid reader of biographies, the discussion about “the practice of life writing” was especially rewarding. Other parts didn’t fully hold my attention or felt a bit more abstract.

There’s no doubt that Carlisle writes with clarity and conviction, and the biographical-philosophical lens she brings is both original and thought-provoking. This isn’t a traditional memoir or a conventional philosophical discussion - it’s something in between, and best approached with openness rather than expectations.

If you're drawn to hybrid forms and introspective prose, this is worth exploring.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.