What would break a marriage? ...

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Synopsis

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn't commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy's time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy's conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together. This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward--with hope and pain--into the future.

Review

I received this book in my first subscription box from Rare Birds Book Club. It’s a monthly subscription box giving the subscribers a new book each month.

I am genuinely surprised by this title. When you see a media review written by Barrack Obama on the back of a book you can’t help but be intrigued. I read this book so quickly, I could not put it down. I seem to be developing a liking for dual perspective stories. Although when I received this book I was unaware that this book followed this format, it made me happy to see it. The choice to follow this format was brilliant. The execution is glorious.

Well rounded and relatable characters form the cornerstone of a solidly thought provoking story. I found myself utterly exhausted by the heartbreak of the perspectives of this story. I bounced from corner to corner in my alliance with each of the characters, chapter by chapter.

Roy’s story is compelling and heart-rendering, there were several points in the plot that reshaped my opinion of him as a man and most certainly as a husband. I was asking myself questions constantly about the choices he was making in regard to his relationships. Choosing to isolate yourself from those you love and those whom love you when you are already in an unavoidable level of isolation was a decision I found very difficult to comprehend.

Celestial was a character that I had a little more difficulty connecting too. Her perspective at times seemed selfish to me, but then I would question those feelings by asking myself if Roy‘s actions and decisions had been the catalyst for this. I was constantly flipping in loyalty between them both, which is testament to the excellent writing style of Jones. The choice to write in the format of letters is clever, it gives the reader a break from the emotional intensity of the story. I think it would become too much were it written in prose, due to the stop and start nature of the correspondence. The continuous flow of prose I think would have made it harder to read because of the way each character had expressed themselves.

I cannot imagine how it feels to have been through the events of this book for either character so to shine a light on that was a bold decision by Jones. The reality of this story was very hard hitting, brave and shameless work by Jones offers an honest assessment of a subject that is rarely covered in books and having now read this I believe it should be approached more readily.

**Disclaimer** I in no way wish to alter or sway anyone else’s view by anything discussed in this post. these are merely my own opinion feel free to agree or disagree as you see fit.

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