I’m not sure what made me choose this book when I did. I had just started using Audible, and I hadn’t yet built a library of books to choose from. This one wasn’t too expensive, and I remembered hearing good things, so I downloaded it. I was out walking to an appointment one day, and on a whim I decided to start listening. And then I didn’t want to stop.
This is the story of a young couple in the American south, Celestial and Roy. They have only been married a short time when Roy is arrested and accused of a violent crime. We and Celestial know that he didn’t do it, but that doesn’t matter – he ends up in jail anyway. This is the story of what comes after the prison gates close. This is the story of what is taken from a person and their family when freedom is lost.
This book is many things – important, wonderful things. It is timely. It deals with issues of race, miscarriage of justice and the prison-industrial system in the US. It deals with love, loyalty, loss, heartbreak, and complex and contradictory emotions. And it is beautifully written. So many times while listening I just had to stop what I was doing to wallow in a particular phrase or image Tayari Jones had perfectly captured. It was because of this, not the story itself, that I felt so emotionally connected to this book. It moved me deeply, and that’s something not a single book I read last year managed to do to this degree.
This isn’t a difficult book – it deals with some difficult themes and situations, but it’s written carefully, so that none of it breaks you. But it will make you think, long after you have finished reading it. It will make you think about what love means to you. About how you would survive if your horizons shrank to a small window. About what it would take to break you, and what you would do if you were any of the characters in this book, because they all end up trapped by circumstances beyond their control.
This has been my favourite book of the year so far, and it’s going to be hard for any other book to knock it out of that place. I was thrilled to see it on this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist, and of the books I’ve read on the list so far, it’s definitely my top pick. It’s worth picking up, particularly if you’re looking for a buddy read or book club pick – it’s rich ground for lengthy discussion. And if you’re an audiobook listener, I’d recommend checking out the Audible production, which brought the book to life for me with the southern accents and multiple narrators. But no matter how you consume it, I am sure you will be glad you did.
ETA on June 5, 2019:
I’ve heard some criticisms of this book since writing my review, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to address one or two here because I’ve been thinking a lot about them. I commented to this effect on Random Book Reviews’ review of this book, but have continued thinking about it. One of the points made in the review was that a lot of large themes are brought up, but not fully explored – particularly the issue of incarceration from a racial and gender discrimination standpoint. This was actually something I enjoyed about the book, for a couple of reasons. First, just from the reader’s perspective, I like when large issues are brought up as part of day-to-day life when it is appropriate for the characters and context. That said, there is very little in this book that specifically discusses this issue, and there could have been more. But there isn’t, and it felt to me like perhaps that was done on purpose. I’m a white woman from Canada, so my place in the world is very privileged. Not only in terms of standard of living, opportunity and treatment in society, but in terms of how I experience culture and media. I’d say a lot, if not most, books are written for an audience similar to me. So books that deal with race and intersecting issues like the prison system in the US tend to go into an explanation and overview of those issues on the assumption that at least a good portion of the readership will require that explanation. I got the feeling, while reading this book, that it wasn’t really written for me. It was written in a way that allowed me access – even invited me to join in – but it wasn’t about to spell out black culture and issues for me. The things that every black person (or other minority), particularly those living in the US, deal with every day and need no explanation of were presented that way in this book. There seemed to be an assumption of cultural understanding that didn’t require that detail. I could be wrong, but if my interpretation is correct, I think that’s an important thing to consider if you are a reader from a background more similar to my own than Roy and Celestial’s. I’m grateful for Random Book Reviews’ discussion on the topic, because I hadn’t really thought this through on my own, and I don’t think I would have. But if I’m right, it’s something that actually makes me feel like this is an even more important and masterful book.
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. – Goodreads
Book Title: An American Marriage
Author: Tayari Jones
Series: No
Edition: Audio/Paperback
Published By: Audible/Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Released: February 6, 2018/January 29, 2018
Genre: Fiction, Race, American Justice System, Relationships
Pages: 320
Date Read: January 24 – February 3, 2019
Rating: 10/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.00/5 (115,449 ratings)
I was excited to see this one on the Women’s Prize longlist, too. I’ve been on a waitlist for a billion years, but I’m getting closer to being able to read it. I’m glad you liked it!