I recently finished reading An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones on audible – and it was everything I dreamt of and then some.
Here’s the official book blurb:
Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive and she is artist on the brink of an exciting career. They are settling into the routine of their life together, when 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.
This stirring love story is a deeply insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward – with hope and pain – into the future.
Here’s my take: I loved it. It was the first fiction audiobook that I have listened to, and it was truly captivating. Tayari Jones has a beautiful and seamless ability to create characters that feel like old friends – you root for them, you cheer with them, you cry with them, and you grow with them.
You can order your copy here.
Live, Love, Learn,