Review of 'An American Marriage' by Tayari Jones

'An American Marriage' by Tayari Jones tells the story of Celestial and Roy, a young couple in love. Their marriage is put to the ultimate test when Roy is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Listed by the New York Times Book Review as one of the top 100 books of the 21st century, this novel tackles race, love, injustice, and the trickle-down effect that the decisions of one generation can have upon the next. In an interview on booksbywomen.org, Jones describes how the idea for the novel was solidified when she overheard a conversation in a mall between a young black couple:

'The woman said, Roy you know you wouldn’t have waited on me for seven years. He replied: But this wouldn’t have happened to you in the first place. And with that, the novel was born.'

I chose this book for our most recent Community Book Club discussion at the Vinton Public Library, and I highly recommend it for fans of contemporary literary fiction. We have this title along with Tayari Jones' latest novel 'Kin' available for checkout at the Vinton Public Library. Jones is speaking at the Des Moines Public Library this summer as part of their AVID author series.

Happy reading,

Kelly