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

We rated this book 3.75 out of 5.Expectations were very high for this Oprah's Book Club selection, the story of a marriage interrupted by the unjust incarceration of the husband.The plot unfolds through the voices of the three main characters, Celestial, Roy, and Andre, over a period of years from college, marriage, incarceration, and exoneration.We wished the story had a bit more meat on its bones.B: I originally gave this a 3, but sometimes you have to let a story percolate. It was so helpful discussing this with the group. I changed my score to a 4.B: The use of symbolism is a very strong component of the plot. Old Hickey, the tree in front of the childhood homes of Celestial and Andre, binds them together in memory and friendship. Celestial, in speaking of her marriage, says, "Marriage is like grafting a limb onto a tree trunk." And, "Our marriage was like a sapling graft that didn't have time to take." The safety of the tree is the one promise Celestial extracts from Roy when they marry. Roy hires a tree surgeon to ensure it's health when it becomes diseased, then later tries to destroy it.B: The poupees, or baby dolls, that propel Celestial's career as an artist seem to look a lot like Roy. Olive, Roy's mother asks for a particular poupee but Celestial, after giving it to Olive, takes it back saying it is unfinished. She only returns it to Olive when Olive is dying, and Celestial is ready to move on and out of her marriage to Roy, as though she is giving Roy back to his mother.B: The pear was a powerful symbol for me. The shape of the pear suggests the uterus and is a symbol of feminine sexuality. That it is a red pear emphasizes this reference. Roy's desire for that red pear makes him do something that even Walter disapproves of. In his shame and desire, he eats the pear in the stench of the fetid prison toilet, hoping to vomit.M: I vacillated between a 3 and a 4 on this book, but when I tried to think how Jones could have fleshed out all the story, it became more of a tome and thus probably unmanageable to the masses. She did a wonderful job of keeping the book to her subject of marriage and all of the problems that this all-too-familiar situation involving incarceration.M: I loved the symbolism of the tree. When Roy attacked Old Hickey the "wedges of fresh wood [flew] from the wounded trunk" Celestial likened the scene to Roy: "All around Roy were the shards of a broken life, not merely a broken heart.M: When Celestial visits Olive for that gift of the poupee, she allows Olive to settle into her passing with ease, but we don't hear that part until later when she explains to Roy how it really all went down between the two women in his life.L: I found An American Marriage a moving and emotionally painful read, especially, in today’s racially charged climate where police are called by angry, frightened white people to deal with black people going about their daily business of living. If police are called because a young, black girl is selling water or because a black man is wearing socks at a pool, is it a much bigger step to being falsely charged with rape as is Roy in the novel? The story makes clear this is a false accusation as Celestial was with her husband during the time of the rape. But this story is not focused on the crime or how easily Roy is convicted and sent to prison for 12 years. In fact, some readers may find the few paragraphs recounting the trial unsatisfying, but again, that’s not the novel’s focus. Its focus is clear from the title.L: This story is about a marriage that can only be found in America. Because it is in America where young black men are so routinely incarcerated. And Roy’s situation demonstrates that even significant educational and financial success cannot protect him from the realities of being a black man in America.L: What does “Until death do us part” mean if you are forcefully separated from your spouse for 12 years? Does Roy have the right to expect Celestial to wait for and support him? Does Celestial have the right to expect Roy to understand how circumstances, albeit unfair, have changed her commitment to him? Does Roy’s college friend, Andre, who has grown up with Celestial since childhood, have any obligation to Roy’s marriage? These questions all arise in the novel but are not answered by it because there is no easy answer. In the end, readers are left to debate how much they agree with the characters’ decisions.L: I gave this book a 4/5 rating. If I had any misgivings, they involved a couple of incidences of coincidence that I found too pat and improbable. I thought the depiction of a marriage in turmoil rang true, however.

Although Tamari Jones has written that this is essentially a love story, it is also a social commentary. But as a love story, it speaks to men and women of all races. In the end, there are relationships in which love is not enough. When tragedy occurs, some relationships cannot survive.It is also a story about new beginnings, and finding a relationship and a life that truly fits who you are. All things considered, it had a "happy" ending.

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,#HappyReadingTracey RobinsonWords For The Soul Book Club

A look at marriage and the work it takes by both parties. Great characters and moving scenarios.

An interesting idea and quite thought-provoking. A brave comment on racialism, society and the Institute of marriage.For the book to work, the reader has to connect with the central characters. Unfortunately, I didn't. The only character I really liked was Big Roy and the part he played in the story.It is well-written and I think if you do connect with the characters, you'll love it.I'm a British reader, and while the book is about universal terms of love, respect and marriage I found it a very American book so there was an extra hurdle for me to jump to find the characters relatable.

This book was recommended on the NY Times best reads of 2018 in my Twitter feed. Then when you read that it was also featured in Oprah's Book club and also recommended by President Barack Obama, you know you just have to buy. So I did.I've just finished it and I was determined to write a review whilst it's still fresh in my mind. But I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said. Beautiful isn't really an adjective I'd equate to a book, but this was, the writing was beautiful. The characters were so fulsome and so three dimensional you couldn't help but feel for them, be enveloped in them and share in their pain. I could feel myself holding back tears, I couldn't help but feel totally emotive, cursing when it came time to putting the book down, remembering that my husband would otherwise starve to death if I didn't get up and go and cook dinner. But I always looked forward to going back to it. The protagonists had their own part of their story to tell, from their own perspective, and you ached with sympathy, with empathy and with a longing to see everybody turn out happy. Life was dealt a cruel to them and it was up to them to untangle the messy predicament they found themselves in.If you'd like to go on an emotional journey that leaves you completely wrung out, I would highly recommend An American Marriage. It's worth your money and your time.

This book was readable, but not great. Certainly, I read it quite quickly and I was eager to finish...but I was left feeling a bit short changed at the end.A few people have commented here and I have to do the same, but the writing is just not realistic. Of course some people do have a wonderful way with words, but to have three main characters and their parents speak and write in the most beautiful, embroidered sentences will eventually make you roll your eyes a bit. Equally, none of the characters are likeable, but perhaps the author's intention was to make them this way to highlight the way prison can change lives and personalities.Overall, glad to have read it but wouldn't read again. I thought it was going to be more about the American judicial system and its bias, rather than a solid love story.

Another domestic drama on the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist though certainly with more drama than ‘Ordinary People’.While I certainly felt for Roy’s situation it was hard to really engage with he and Celestial as characters. Towards the end I almost threw in the towel with regards to the over-the-top emoting that was happening. Roy became such an entitled man baby. In some ways he and Michael from OP would probably relate well to one another.I will be discussing this in a few days with our reading group and that may lead to a revision but right now it’s a 2 and likely this is at the bottom of my shortlist.

I read this book very quickly and really enjoyed it. The pacing is good, story interesting (and timely), the characters vivid. The story is told through a combination of different character's points of view and letters, which I found really effective.The unfairness in what happens to Roy is tragic yet this story goes way beyond that and becomes more about survival, love and humanity. This book isn't about prison as such; in fact, him serving his sentence is a relatively small part of it and there is no day-to-day of his life inside. It's about people.One of many ideas which stays with me after reading this book is how even in this day and age a decent man's life can be swept away on a whim because he is black. Working hard and following all the rules won't be enough and everyone in this book knows it and lives with that fact.You'll keep thinking about this book and the people in it after you've read the last page. I recommend this book very highly.