Roy & Celestial are newly married, and visiting his parents when a terrible miscarriage of justice occurs; suddenly Roy, a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time is incarcerated for 12 years.

Even though she continues to fight for justice, it is inevitable that Celestial’s life moves on at a faster pace than Roy’s. With his release can things go back to how they used to be?

A story of love, heartbreak, justice and injustice, and of strength and endurance.

I have been reading a few books about race recently but this is my first contemporary novel.  This book has been raved about by pretty much every black celebrity in the US, Oprah and the Obama's especially.  I admit it, I was expecting more.

The premise is simple, a young married couple find themselves at the wrong end of the racist police in the American south.  They stay one night in a Louisiana motel which leads to Roy being accused of the rape of another guest, despite the fact that his wife was with him the whole night, he gets convicted and sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit.   The book is about the effect that this has on them, their marriage and the people who love them. 

This a tale told in three first-person accounts with some letters thrown in for luck.  At first, we hear from the married couple, Roy and Celestial.   We don't get to see much of their life before the incident, only their thoughts about it and whilst Roy is incarcerated we only see the letters, and to me, they felt a little removed.  I would have loved to hear about Roy's day to day experience in prison, but instead, we get the censored truth, to be told to loved ones who would worry if the truth wasn't edited.

The other first-person account is from Andre a close friend of the couple who becomes increasingly close to Celestial.  Celestial is on the verge of a career breakthrough when this all happens, and for the most part, her life carries on like it always did.  She is probably my least favourite character in the book.  She seems vain and self-absorbed and not worthy of the attention that she gets.   Andre never seemed really three dimensional and in some ways, I feel that he was only there to turn this book into one of the most overused tropes in modern literature, the love triangle.

I get how this is a shocking inditement of the organisational racism inherent in the police system but apart from the lawyer who constantly appeals on Roy's behalf, nobody else seems to think it's worth fighting for.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book at all, it has just been so overhyped.  I never really felt emotionally connected with any of the characters and others have said that is was moving, but I just didn't feel it.

An entertaining and engaging book about the effects of institutional racism.  But for me, it didn't live up to the hype. 
THE REVIEW WILL BE POSTED ON MY BLOG ON THE 28TH OF FEB 19

There has been a lot of hype around An American Marriage ever since it first came out last year, so much that I decided I wanted to see how I would react to this story myself. Nothing can beat that other gorgeous blue cover for me, but I do love how well this new cover fits the story. The two main characters back to back, the handwritten letters as a background, the use of contrasting colors... Truly eyecatching. Now that I have finally had the chance to read An American Marriage, I can understand why it has been praised this much. Powerful, raw, moving, emotionally draining... This story will most definitely leave its mark. Let's start with the fact that sadly having an innocent man going to prison is something that still happens even to this date. Prejudice and racial discrimination are two phenomenons we cannot seem to get rid of in society, and Southern US does have its history. The way this story is told and the different elements are introduced and incorporated into the plot is brilliant. An American Marriage proves to be an eye-opener as well as an emotional and heartbreaking story about two persons being ripped apart by a wrong conviction. The story is told from three different POVs, all three characters being key to this story. Celestial, Roy and Andre each have their own role in An American Marriage, each has their flaws and each is developed realistically and evolves during this story. Unfortunately for me, I was never able to fully warm up to them though, which is one of the things that prevented me connecting to the story fully. The pace was also considerably slow at points, which might be a turn off for some. These are only minor complaints compared to the wonderful writing style and the way this story is constructed though. I really like how we go from different POVs to letters written between Celestial and Roy during his stay in prison and back to regular prose afterwards. It's a representation of how the characters were limited in their communication during this difficult time and it adds a little something extra to the story. The representation of the failed justice system and how screwed up things were this close to the present days is both shocking and a revelation. I've read stories about innocent men in prison before, and Tayari Jones' voice is a welcome addition to the group. Could I have done without the love triangle? Yes. But I guess it does help showcasing just how far the consequences of that wrong conviction will go. It's without doubt a powerful read I'm glad I finally had the chance to read.

I already had some ideas about An American Marriage when I first started reading it, but I didn't realize the full extent of this powerful and emotionally draining story until I was already in way too deep. While it is true that I failed to connect to the characters completely, I wasn't happy with the love triangle and the pace was a bit slow at points, it was the story itself that made me forget about those minor complaints. An innocent man behind bars just because someone pointed their finger (basically), the struggle to prove the truth, the strain the situation has on a relationship and those close to Roy in general, the racial discrimination, the failed justice system, the family history... Powerful elements that have been excellently developed and executed and which turn this story into one well worth your time.

"Love makes a place in your life, it makes a place for itself in your bed. Invisibly, it makes a place in your body, rerouting all your blood vessels, throbbing right alongside your heart. When it's gone, nothing is whole again."

This book tells the story of a marriage, from the meeting of two people, first flourishes of love, a proposal, engagement, a wedding. Celestial and Roy, a black couple, are from the South and both from slightly different backgrounds, his being poor and hers being new money. She is a free spirited artist and he is an ambitious salesman. As newly weds, their marriage is not perfect, however, they work on it and find ways together to overcome any impasse that presents itself. After 18 months of marriage, Roy is wrongly convicted of aggravated sexual assault on a woman whose race we are not privy to. He is convicted and sentenced to 12 years in jail.

For the first couple of years, we are given an insight into how they both cope with Roy's incarceration through letters back and forth between the couple. The grief, anger, despair, and hopelessness is plain to read as they find themselves in a nightmarish situation that may not have happened had Roy been a different race. They, and their families, are devastated. Celestial's father bankrolls his brother in law, an attorney, to try to get an appeal heard and have the conviction overturned.

After five years Roy is released. However, for the last two years of his prison term, Celestial has not be visiting him, having said that she cannot continue being married in this vein. Roy clings to hope that, as she is still paying money into his prison commissary and has not taken the steps to divorce him, that he still has a fighting chance to win Celestial back and to save his marriage. Celestial, on the other hand, has moved on and in her mind, Roy is her husband, but in an abstract "gone away" kind of way. All that changes when Roy comes home desperate to pick up with Celestial where they left off 5 years earlier.

I loved this book. I read it in 2 days, hardly being able to put it down. The writing is exquisite and draws you in completely on the feelings and experiences of all the characters. The characters themselves are very well drawn out and developed, though each is flawed, you can empathise with each character in their own hopeless/hopeful dilemma. Setting aside the humanizing take on a miscarriage of justice, it is a gripping, moving and poignant story of a marriage, of love, of the familial ties, both past and present, that bind us, of devastation and heartbreak, and is a story that will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommend.

"Love makes a place in your life, it makes a place for itself in your bed. Invisibly, it makes a place in your body, rerouting all your blood vessels, throbbing right alongside your heart. When it’s gone, nothing is whole again.”

Before I even start, I want to say, brazenly, that An American Marriage is, so far, my favourite read of 2018. A bold statement but a worthy one. In this exquisite novel, we are introduced to Roy and Celestial, a young black couple, newly married and living in Atlanta. They are educated members of the new post-integration African-American generation but are nonetheless informed about oppression by their loving parents. As husband and wife, they love each other passionately but are both stubborn in their ways and ideals, and they argue as much as they relate to each other. Like any newlyweds, they are figuring out themselves and each other, and are navigating their way around their new household. Despite being from different backgrounds, they have found a comforting connection with each other. Roy has worked hard to excel himself beyond his working-class background., earning a scholarship to university. Celestial is an up-and-coming artist from a middle-class home. They have dreams of becoming successful and rich, and not just "black-rich". On a trip to Roy's homestead one weekend, the couple are thrown into a series of events that will upend them, and a chance meeting at a motel changes the direction of their young lives forever.

"Much of life is timing and circumstance, I see that now."

After just 18 months of marriage, Roy is wrongly convicted of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to 12 years in a prison. On paper, he is an innocent man, happily married, college-educated, gainfully-employed, who does all the right things to succeed, but in a criticism of the current criminal justice system in America, particularly in relation to how it treats black men, he is nonetheless sidelined to a concrete cell. Over the course of the next 50 pages, give or take, Roy and Celestial go through the motions of grief, despair and anger, through personal letters, before coming to acceptance of their situation. After five years, Roy is released from prison and returns to the life he once knew, but Celestial has found comfort in a lifelong friend, and has a difficult decision to make.

While this novel looks at a very current and important issue - with major discussion of race-based injustice and racial profiling of young black men in America - it goes so much further. It looks in depth at the consequences of injustice themselves, and how individual lives are affected by them. It delves into the quiet devastation and the personal loss experienced by individuals and their families, the traumatic aftermath. This isn't a a courtroom drama or a vivid examination of prison politics: it is the story of the loss of hope of romantic love and the loss of dreams, the disintegration of marriage and of family, and ultimately the impossible wedge driven between a couple. It is also an intimate look at communication and truth and how it surfaces through dialogue; both in letters and, later, in face-to-face contact.

What I was completely blown away by when I read this book was its look at the meaning of marriage as an institution and its exploration of why people really get married. It pokes at the meaning of loyalty within a marriage and the limits of that loyalty. The question it ultimately asks of our female protagonist is: What are the boundaries of responsibility when you are married? Must Celestial provide unwavering devotion because she agreed to marry Roy? And because she is part of a prejudiced culture, should she compensate for staying in a marriage, with a man she no longer wants? Or is she just as free as any other woman to fall out of love and to reject a life that she doesn't want? Chance and racism may have drawn a path for her, but should she be expected to follow it?

Despite it's relatively short length, this book touches on so much. It explores family politics and disapproving in-laws, flawed families of origin and the expectation of grandchildren - all things newly married couples must deal with. It is so very authentic in its depiction of fleshed-out characters with true struggles, and the drama is utterly compelling. As well as being an intimate look at marriage, it focuses in on other relationships: fathers and sons, biological and adoptive; mothers and sons; lifelong friends, and more.

The depth of understanding Tayari Jones has for the human condition - for humanness - and for intimate relationships is just breathtaking. How she delves into families and their pasts, their histories, how this shapes them as people, the generational ties that form them; it really is just a marvel to witness. There is a wisdom in Jones' writing that is so unique, one that I haven't encountered since I read the work of Gloria Naylor. The words within this book are mesmerising, and delivered with a clarity that is just awe-inspiring.

I don't think I can say enough about this phenomenal book. It is thought-provoking and subtle, but oh so powerful. A very well-deserved five stars; more if I could award them. 2018 Book of the Year, for me. Yes, I went there.

Having heard so much about this book from my fellow book buddies I just knew had to read it.
It’s a great story . Fantastic read. Strong story , characters are well written.
A must read,
Thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

This book is so Southern that I could hear every accented voice, I could practically smell the soul food and I was genuinely transported to my childhood with a single description of a candy cane being put in a sour pickle. Though the dialogue was a little too soundbite ready at times and the prose often veered into preaching, it really is incredibly written. The Davenports and Hamiltons are so familiar it's like reading about family.

Unfortunately just like family they can all grate the nerves. I spent the entirety of the book firmly on Team Nobody and found myself disappointed with the trite ending. I'm okay with that though because even though my eyes kept rolling out of my head I still enjoyed reading about these very flawed, very selfish people.

AN AMERICAN MARRAIGE has been on my radar for a while, I knew it was going to be a tough read so I had to be ready to go in. This isn’t a love story, it is a life story. It was a tough read but I am all the richer for having read this story and the world of literature is richer for this realistic representation of hell raining down on an innocent black man.

Celestine and Roy didn’t have the perfect marriage but it was real, they argued, they communicated and they worked on it; they were happy. All that was stolen from them in an instant in a cruel and unjust way. What plays out is the passing of years and their experiences and those of their families and friends.

The trials Roy existed through were brutally tough to read but I felt transported to his lived experience and I was willing his position to a place of improvement. Celestine was a feminist, I admired her tenacity and ability to exist and continue...until I didn’t. What happened with these characters that I became so very invested in, made me feel very conflicted. Their decisions, their journeys were painful but real and I felt crushed at various junctures.

Sometimes love just isn’t enough, sometimes there isn’t enough love. My mind is still knotted, wondering about the what-ifs and the maybe if... One thing is for sure, this injustice happens, most likely on a daily basis and so this was an important story to tell.

I’ve come out of this read not feeling in love with these characters because, guess what, they were flawed. I have come out of this read incredibly impressed by the narrative voice of Tayari Jones and her ability to tell the tough tale with heart, passion and grit.

“Much of life is timing and circumstance, I see that now. Roy came into my life at the time when I needed a man like him...But how you feel love and understand love are two very different things.”

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

“When I first started calling you Georgia, it was because I could tell you were homesick. Now I call you that because I’m the one missing home and home is you.”

‘An American Marriage’ is a powerful story of love, loyalty, and injustice driven by beautiful prose.
I’ve read a few books which discuss racial inequalities and the injustice of the US legal system. Anyone can be wrongly convicted. However, the sad reality is that juries are more likely to convict a black man than a white man.

In ‘An American Marriage’, Jones provides a social commentary on race. However, at the forefront lies an exploration of injustice itself and the effects it has on relationships of all forms. To achieve this, she has created a cast of characters so rich and fleshed out that I forgot that they were fiction. The hardships they face are real, and Jones sheds light on the poignant reality which hundreds of black Americans experience every day.

The novel focuses on the newlywed couple, Roy and Celestial, who are torn apart by circumstances out their control. Roy is accused and convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. As a result, their marriage is challenged as they are forced to undergo a test of loyalty.

The story jumps from alternating first-person perspectives to an epistolary section during Roy’s time in prison. As the years pass by, the letters become less frequent, feelings change, and Jones makes us consider whether loyalty can always be expected in a marriage.

There was a seamless shift in perspectives. Roy, Celestial, and lifelong friend Andre were all interesting and by the end, I didn’t know who to sympathise with. They all made their own mistakes. They were all flawed. But, they were all real.

An American Marriage explores how the unjust legal system impacts not only those who are wrongly accused but how it marks everyone around them. It affects the newly wedded wife, the widowed father, lifelong friends. They’re suddenly forced to confront hardships they never anticipated. Jones succeeds in portraying the far-reaching impact of racial injustice and it was outstanding.

I was so ready to love this book and, for the first 50 or so pages I did... but then Roy gets locked up for a crime we know he didn't commit (evidence? we're not told anything about the trial, the book jumps over it for the outcome) and then suddenly we're in a series of letters between Roy and his wife which don't sound like letters at all. Their voices are the same, people just don't write like that, it's hard to suspend belief and go with the story.

I thought this was going to be about race and injustice, how a marriage copes - or doesn't. But sadly this turns into something less sophisticated with the incredible appearance of a long-lost father and a love triangle. This material has so much potential but at heart it's treated here as a kind of 'women' s fiction' relationships book: the false imprisonment of Roy is a catalyst but it could have been swapped for any number of other scenarios that put a new marriage under pressure.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I found the stereotypical characters (men & women) uninspiring and frustrating, and the most interesting topic of the book - race inequality in the US legal system - was dissapointingly underdeveloped. Pity.

Gripping, moving and sometimes heartbreaking, the format helps the story move forward without feeling gimmicky. While some characters felt less effectively drawn than others, Roy Jnr is a strong and likable lead