A review by annreadsabook
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book...I am not okay.

I loved An American Marriage but I didn’t *enjoy* it. Do you ever get that feeling after finishing a book? Tayari Jones is such a talented writer, and it shines through in this novel; it is Black through and through, and while it has plenty of pain, it also has a generous heaping of Black love (I also don’t say this often but I wouldn’t mind seeing a film adaptation of this book).

This book stood out to me for how it underscores the ways in which the US prison industrial complex harms even the most intimate of relationships in the Black community. Throughout the novel, the question is asked, in various forms: “what are Black men and women in this country owed?”

An American Marriage is a challenging, provocative read that I thoroughly recommend. Not gonna lie—it’s also EXTREMELY messy. None of the characters are particularly likable, so I would recommend getting into the appropriate headspace before reading...
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