An American marriage

by

471 pages

English language

Published Feb. 9, 2018

ISBN:
978-1-4328-4536-0
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OCLC Number:
1019841796

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5 stars (1 review)

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.

6 editions

reviewed An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Review of 'An American Marriage' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

In jail for a crime he did not commit, Roy's young marriage to Celestial is strained as he spends more time in jail than they had spent as a couple: as he pines for release and a return to the life he once had, Celestial's life moves forward in a diverging trajectory. The book is told from alternating points of view between Roy, Celestial, and family friend Andre who remains (and becomes increasingly) significant as time goes on. The havoc wrought on each of them and their family members is devastating, but it's just as devastating to consider how plausible this scenario is in today's American south. Would definitely recommend.

Subjects

  • Man-woman relationships
  • Marriage
  • Large type books
  • African American families
  • African Americans
  • False imprisonment
  • Fiction

Places

  • Atlanta (Ga.)