An American Marriage (Oprah’s Book Club): A Novel

From my blog I am glad I went into this story without any knowledge. A friend tagged me on Oprah's post where she recommended friends to read together. A day later another friend reaches out and starts a Whatsapp group to discuss the book. I am in a book club but this was a new way to read a book and it added to the enjoyment of reading The American Marriage. There are no spoilers. The story is told in 3 Chapters through the main characters Roy, Celestial and Andre. How you think about marriage will come into question, make you sit back and say what is right or wrong, traditional or not and if generations look at marriage differently. "Sometimes when you like where you end up, you don't care how you got there." Kindle 11% We get to see how young marriage unfolds, deciding on becoming parents, in-laws, career building and what no one should have to deal with, being locked up for a crime you didn't commit. How the incarceration affects all involved is an intense, emotional, love affair you will not forget. Tarai Jones has wrote a winner, I am positive this book will be in my Top Ten for the year. The older men in the book are the true MVP's, old school wisdom. I laughed and cried, the story is very touching. As a black Bermudian it is hard for me to understand the African American life and Tarai Jones does an amazing job on showing us how unfair life can be for an African American man without the feel of racism being uncomfortable. "I have one thing to say to you, as a black man: Roy is a hostage of the state. He is a victim of America. The least you could do........ Kindle 40% I did not enjoy the character of Celestial, I just couldn't relate to her thoughts, her decisions, she wasn't a strong or weak female, spoiled yes, but that is still no excuse, I really am stumped by how much I disliked her in the story. She has strong opinions on not belonging to anyone, this is a continuous topic. It came to a point every time we came to her chapters, I had to take a breath to tolerate her. My favourite characters are the fathers in the story and Roy, a true romantic. There is so much to love about this incredible story. We get history and heartbreaking moment to moment. A huge part of the story are told through letters which gave it a beautiful, genuine feel. You can also feel the journey of love change over the years. Is it love or is it convenience? Kindle 69% The situation was a lot of things - tragic, absurd, unlikely, and maybe even unethical - but it was not convenient. Kindle 69% I also enjoyed how as the reader you are unsure who to root for, how the story will end and who really is the underdog. I loved the ending but I think it will be different for each reader. I am very intrigued by the author now and will read more by her. There is so much to this story, I have had to be as general as possible in order for you to enjoy the story as it unfolds. I highly recommend.

I added this book to my book club's reading list after it was mentioned on President Barack Obama's reading list in 2018. I read the synopsis and said, yup I think I'll like this book. Fast-forward to August 2019, I read and thoroughly enjoyed it (for the most part....I'll explain later). Brief Synopsis: Tayari Jones relates how one day drastically changed the dynamics of Roy and Celestial's young marriage. As a sorta newly wed (3 years in), I was deeply attached to this story. Marriage isn't easy. It takes excellent communication, compromise, and growth while keeping your own individuality. Like I said, it's not easy but wonderful when both put forth reasonable effort. Early on you start to sense something life-altering was going to happen to shatter the foundation of Roy and Celestial's marriage. Jones takes time to develop each character, to help you see their flaws along with their strengths. Then she throws in the other, that one friend who could be the death of your marriage if you're not careful. That friend is Andre in this story. You are left trying to figure out if Roy and Celestial's marriage is strong enough to survive his incarceration and what outside factors will help or hurt that cause. In the end, most probably are satisfied with the ending. Me, not so much. I almost was, but one thing just didn't fit for me. Since Jones tells this story from the pov's of Roy, Celestial, and Andre, I'll relate what spoke to my soul from each one's perspective. I'm pausing as I'm typing this because I don't want reveal too much and I don't know who I want to start with..... I'll start with Celestial. Her character stresses the importance of remaining true to yourself. As her character develops, I think she begins to live more for herself. Yes, she's a wife but she's also Celestial. My husband tells me frequently not to lose just being me. We put our various roles ahead of self as men, women, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and children. Don't forget to be you and make yourself happy, only YOU can do that. This is only possible when you know what happiness means to you, individually. In the end, I don't know if Celestial fully realizes this. Moving on to Roy, growth was his means to freedom. Ego, wants versus needs, and honest self-evaluation all come to mind with Roy. He is by far my favorite character in this book. He had to grow in so many areas to be completely free. Sometimes we fight and hold on to the "idea" of something that is far from reality. It's ok to let go and it's ok to have faith in the unknown. Finally, I'll speak on Andre. This is where my for the most part comes into play. Compromise is one thing, but NEVER EVER SETTLE. I believe this is what he did. He settled for the next best thing after being presented with evidence suggesting he should do something different. Am I alone on this thought? I don't know. You tell me. Overall, Tayari Jones brings a realistic telling of how injustices can either tear a family apart or bring them closer together. My favorite aspect of this book were the letters written between Celestial and Roy. It gave me time to truly reflect on each's pov at a slower than normal pace. Reminds me of how early on in our dating/courtship, my husband and I used an app to write our thoughts versus a rapid fire text message. Sometimes there was an immediate reply. Other times it may take a few hours or even days. This strengthened our relationship because communication occurred with calmness, respectfulness, and love. Find what works for you and yours. As Always, #HappyReading Tracey Robinson Words For The Soul Book Club

WOW!!!!! This story was pheromonal! I appreciated how the story was told through the letters and the perspective of three main characters. The story has numerous story lines, love, romance, relationships, fairness, justice, the tree, the dolls that looked like Roy. It was heartwarming, heartbreaking and sad to see the relationships between all the parents/step parents/biological parents, relationships with in-laws, form and evolve. The unjust incarceration of Black men was a powerful theme, and One of the most powerful quotes for me from the book: "That’s your fate as a black man. Carried by six or judged by twelve.” as a mother of a Black son growing up in the south, I made sure my son understood the gravity of those two options. I believe Roy's character was extremely self aware, and I believe Celestial's character was sheltered, privileged and maybe slightly naive which greatly contributed to her choices. This book made me cry, especially the last few letters between Roy and Celestial. As a note my name is Celeste and my daughter's name is Celestial, we are from a place called Amelia Island (Fernandina Beach). It took me a while to read this book, but I'm so glad I did...this book was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! Tayari you did an amazing job with this story. Thank you so much for including us.

“An American Marriage” is multiple stories wrapped together, and I don’t say that because there are three POV characters. You have the messy relationships of Celestial and Roy, Andre and Celestial, and then the relationships between them and their parents all under a magnifying lens highlighting every flaw. Then you have the story of the gross injustice in our justice system that incarcerates a disproportionate amount of Black and Brown men, and how that incarceration upends not just their lives, but the lives of their families and disrupts a whole community. Sometimes, these two stories came together, and other times they didn’t, which made this book hard for me to put my finger on if I liked it in its entirety, or just certain parts. So, let’s talk about the characters first and the “romance” aspect. Beware, this is a long one! It’s genuinely hard to like any of these characters (except Big Roy), but it’s also hard to dislike them, too—except Little Roy. This book is painful in that we watch with razor focus as a new marriage, under two years, was already full of lies and omissions; with Roy just barely a step away from constantly cheating on Celestial, and Celestial being so worried about losing herself to a man that she always had a hard time giving any part of herself for the greater good of their union. These lies and omissions really came to a head when Roy is wrongfully imprisoned and their communication with each other was put to the ultimate test. I will say that some of my favorite parts of this book were Celestial and Roy’s letters back and forth to each other. Showing the passage of time and the deterioration of their marriage in such a way was great and I devoured that section of the book. But it’s when we get to see the relationship through the characters eyes that, well, I could not stand Little Roy anymore. Incarceration changes a person, especially when they’re wrongfully convicted. But we don’t see much of Roy’s time in prison, what he endured, what he did to survive. Perhaps that was the author’s way of communicating that a lot of these men do not share what they have undergone when incarcerated with their loved ones, but, either way, it meant that at the end, when Roy explodes, the sympathy I should have for this man wasn’t there. Roy was always kind of an overgrown manchild with an uncomfortable obsession with getting his wife pregnant. When he slept with women on the side, he’d beg them to allow him not to use protection, and then he turns around to violently vilify Celestial for being with Andre and having the “audacity” to ask him to use a condom. His response is to threaten with “I could take it if I wanted to. But I won’t.” You could pass that off as this is what the “justice” system turned Roy into, but even before his wrongful imprisonment he was doing this kind of thing, so there goes that. And while I liked Andre for Celestial much more (c’mon, childhood friend who pined for this girl his whole life? Yes please!), you don’t get much of him to really understand him or know him, and that was a bit of a letdown, too. He does genuinely seem to understand Celestial better, is able to meet her where she is, but because we don’t see as much of him it can read a lot as his only function is to live his life FOR Celestial, and that’s a bit too codependent for me. While I saw myself in Celestial quite a bit, there is also no getting around the fact that she moved on with her life pretty fast once Roy was taken away. Should she have put her life on hold? Paused her dreams and made taking care of him while he was incarcerated her main focus? That depends on your view of romantic partnerships. I think a balance could have been struck, but Celestial didn’t bother with that. These characters all occupied different spaces from one another, and because of that they had an ideal of the other person that was never based in reality. And it cost them all dearly. Roy had a vision for his career and his pretty bride, one where she would be a kept artist and would become “whole” when she began popping out babies. But he was ashamed of where he came from and took too long to invite Celestial into that part of his life, keeping her at the same arm’s length that she held herself at because of the predatory relationship that traumatized her in college. A relationship and trauma she never shared with Roy until he was imprisoned. At the end, they do realize the space they are happiest in and stay with the person who appreciates them for who they ARE rather than who they wish the other was. Which is good! But the mess that these characters waded through to get there was a lot. If it seems like I’m spending way more time on the characters than the injustice of the system, well that’s because outside of the middle section with their letters, there’s just not much to talk about, which is a shame. But, that one section was one of my favorites, even if at the end I did not like Celestial or Roy. So how do you rate this book, these stories? The writing was fabulous with some really strong lines and an overall heart-wrenching story that was, ironically, very easy to read. This book is a perfect book club read for the kind of discussions you can have around it, and I really appreciate that, too! But my frustration with these characters is heavy and therefore makes this a 3.5 star read for me. But this author’s writing and storytelling ability is amazing and I’ve already picked up another of her books!

An American Marriage is a beautifully written, deeply emotional novel that hits hard, especially as a father. It makes you reflect—not just on your own marriage and family but also on your childhood and the relationship you had (or didn't have) with your own father. This story is layered with love, pain, healing, and the tough choices between fighting for what's yours and knowing when to let go. It's a powerful, culturally rich read that some might not fully grasp if they're not familiar with Black culture, but for those who do, it resonates deeply. I was completely hooked-finished it in just six days, which is fast for me with my schedule. Highly recommend! Oh… also, read it along with the audiobook if you can. Really brings this book alive.

The beauty of this powerful and compelling novel is its fine, sensitive balance between the universal experience of falling in and out of love, and the specific perspective of its circle of black characters dealing with the painful and familiar trappings of racism and disproportionate justice in the “New South” of Atlanta, Georgia. As a white reader both aware of yet culturally outside the black experience, I was swept into the narrative by Tayari’s Jones’ evocative storytelling style—with its rich sense of place and character—the propelling thrust of the unfolding drama, and her piercing illumination of the day-to-day causticness and danger of being black in America and all that that encompasses. We initially experience the joy and sensuality of Celestial and Roy finding each other at the arching moment of their personal and career success, only to have that hopeful trajectory interrupted by a false accusation of rape and the unfathomable conviction that sends Roy to prison for decades. We experience with them the pain and unknowingness about whether or not their new marriage can survive until he is (hopefully) released on appeal, as we witness Celestial’s slow, almost inevitable turn to their longtime and mutual friend, Andre, as both a comfort and a new love. There is inevitable judgment from family members, impact on her burgeoning artistic career (she makes one-of-a-kind dolls), and the ever-present guilt of not being able to sustain what had only begun, but Jones’s empathy for her characters makes it possible for us to relate to Roy’s anger and anticipation, while also being moved by Celestial’s struggle, Andre’s dilemma, and their ultimate acceptance that life has to move on, no matter the cost. When Roy is unexpectedly released, they are all faced with the fallout of decisions made in his absence; our choice as readers is to either take a side, or allow a sense of universal compassion to open us up to the unfolding conclusion. It is an emotional, enlightening, painful journey, whether the focus is on true love or the injury of racism, and by the story’s end, I felt as though I had been on that journey with people who mattered. A beautiful book.

An American marriage is one of those books you just can’t put down. I was drawn in quickly and empathized with the characters early on in the novel. Jones tells the story of a young couple in America through personal letters sent to each other. She uses these letters to describe the journey they take as their marriage is ripped apart by the American justice system. The couple had been newly married for just 18 months and now have to figure out how to be separated and still make a future for themselves. I loved to read these personal letters which showed how the characters were coping with the separation after being newly wed. In one of Celestial’s letters to Roy we see her struggling with being all alone. “I’m alone in a way that’s more than the fact that I am the only living person within these walls. Up until now, I thought I knew what was and wasn’t possible. Maybe that’s what innocence is, having no way to predict the pain of the future” (Jones 41). Instead of Jones just telling us about these young couples problems we get to see them in each of the letters they sent to each other. This allowed me to really empathize with the characters and make me feel like I’m on the journey with them. I couldn’t get myself to put this book down because of all the drama and excitement. I wanted to find out if this couple was going to make it through this awful situation. This couple worked really hard to get to where they were in life and everything got ripped away from them when they did everything right except for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I can see why Oprah chose to put this on her book club reading lists. It has a story of love, separation, stories of real people from black southern America. It also has a thread of woman building themselves up and working towards independence.

An American Marriage was a layered, slow-rolling depiction of the many factors that can make or break a marriage, one's hopes and dreams, and their access to freedom. Roy and Celestial are still newly married when Roy is falsely accused of SAing a woman and does five years in prison before being freed. During that time, Roy and Celestial grow separately and apart, both enduring trials and tribulations that not only test them, but their relationship. Celestial ends up falling for her childhood best friend Andre—who was friends with Roy in college and introduced him to Celestial—and when Roy gets out of prison, chaos ensues. This was my first time reading anything by Tayari Jones, but I wanted to read something before jumping into my ARC of "Kin," her upcoming title. I really enjoyed the prose and overall concept of this book, found all of the suspenseful parts suspenseful, and the emotional parts devastating. However, this was truly a journey among three nearly entirely insufferable characters, and perhaps that is the point—that you can go through ebbs and flows and that doesn't always mean you'll be perceived as likable, or that you'll do the thing that's seen as "correct." I really only rooted for Roy, and then it got to a point where I sat and thought about his actions from the beginning of the book through to the end, and I realized I didn't like him as much as I thought I did LOL. However, characters being likable is not a requirement for me to read a story, so I was able to hook onto the actual plot, family dynamics, and social commentary throughout—and there was a lot to grab onto in that respect. I'm very excited to read another book by Jones! 4 ⭐️s