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chaptersofmay 's review for:
An American Marriage
by Tayari Jones
An American Marriage is a vividly painful and emotional read. It examines the ugliness, beauty, and complexity of love and commitment. This rendering tale of love and loss cuts so deep, its influence is inevitable. Roy and Celestial are married only a “year and some change” when Roy is unjustly imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Their bliss comes to a devastating halt. The couple try to navigate a one-sided marriage, but understandably, it’s not easy to maintain. Then Roy is released, 7 years early.
Jones creates two incredibly well-developed characters in Roy and Celestial. They’re intelligent, passionate and witty, but fierce and selfish. Their imperfections are all too realistic. Roy and Celestial are so three-dimensional you cannot help but imagine yourself in their place. With the use of multiple perspectives, the author creates distinctive personalities between both the main and secondary characters. Each voice was holding on to some kind of pain, even when mixed with joy and success.
An American Marriage has an engaging pace. Years of marriage can be illustrated with drawn out narrative, but Jones wonderfully lures you into Roy and Celestial’s lives by lacing every thought with striking emotion. I can’t relate to any of the circumstances the characters face, yet I found myself crying with them. I struggled to take sides when it came to their broken relationship, because it’s too difficult to fault humans for being humans.
The book also explores racial inequality within the criminal justice system, and how these prejudices can tear apart families and destroy lives. It’s tragic and crushing, but within the story there is still growth and hope. Tayari Jones’ novel is sincerely frank. Her use of eloquent and rich metaphors in a first-person narrative makes each dilemma all the more expressive. I think the use of letters in the book also helped with this. The words of the characters carry weight, and in addition to the well-crafted plot, this book is a rue glimpse into a realistic and imperfect American Marriage.
Rather than a love story, An American Marriage is a story about love. It explores the deep and intense feeling in all its many and messy forms. It’s one of those books that just cannot be put down. The story and the characters are too addictive. With secondary themes of race, society, morality and family, Jones pushes the reader to wonder whether we really do have control of our emotions, or freedom in our lives.
For more book reviews and posts, check out my blog or follow along on Instagram
Jones creates two incredibly well-developed characters in Roy and Celestial. They’re intelligent, passionate and witty, but fierce and selfish. Their imperfections are all too realistic. Roy and Celestial are so three-dimensional you cannot help but imagine yourself in their place. With the use of multiple perspectives, the author creates distinctive personalities between both the main and secondary characters. Each voice was holding on to some kind of pain, even when mixed with joy and success.
An American Marriage has an engaging pace. Years of marriage can be illustrated with drawn out narrative, but Jones wonderfully lures you into Roy and Celestial’s lives by lacing every thought with striking emotion. I can’t relate to any of the circumstances the characters face, yet I found myself crying with them. I struggled to take sides when it came to their broken relationship, because it’s too difficult to fault humans for being humans.
The book also explores racial inequality within the criminal justice system, and how these prejudices can tear apart families and destroy lives. It’s tragic and crushing, but within the story there is still growth and hope. Tayari Jones’ novel is sincerely frank. Her use of eloquent and rich metaphors in a first-person narrative makes each dilemma all the more expressive. I think the use of letters in the book also helped with this. The words of the characters carry weight, and in addition to the well-crafted plot, this book is a rue glimpse into a realistic and imperfect American Marriage.
Rather than a love story, An American Marriage is a story about love. It explores the deep and intense feeling in all its many and messy forms. It’s one of those books that just cannot be put down. The story and the characters are too addictive. With secondary themes of race, society, morality and family, Jones pushes the reader to wonder whether we really do have control of our emotions, or freedom in our lives.
For more book reviews and posts, check out my blog or follow along on Instagram