Review of 'An American Marriage' by Tayari Jones

I really struggle to want to read books that have been hyped up - the expectation of them being great books is there and so the risk of being disappointed in a book sky rockets. Anyhow, I bit the bullet with An American Marriage and ended up really loving it. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of plot from the book, but I was totally hooked. Before I get into the review properly I just want to put a big trigger warning out there that the book does discuss rape and a rape trial.

Roy and Celeste are newlyweds living in the south Unites States. Right at the start of married life, Roy is accused of raping a woman at a hotel. Celeste know's he's innocent, but he ends up in prison for it. Pushing their relationship to its limits, over his 12 years in prison they mostly communicate in letters. Roy is struggling being incarcerated and feeling the injustice of a justice system so heavily prejudiced against people of colour like himself. Celeste on the other hand is struggling to navigate a 'normal' life on the outside in which she's a newlywed with no husband.

This really was a heartbreaking story for me, and yet one that was so realistic. By splitting the narrative to cover both Celeste's life and Roy's, you understand the pain they both feel, but also their frustration and even anger at the other person. It's a story about loyalty, and how far that has to be stretched, as well as a story about love and loss and justice. This whole idea that your world can get pulled out from under your feet for something you didn't do is terrifying, and the book is really great at showing how scary life can be as a minority in the US where the justice scales are already opposed to you.

I loved this book. Usually I find that I don't enjoy love stories that don't follow a traditional linear path, however the plot for this was so well written and so realistic that I really enjoyed it. The normal narrative in the book is broken up by the letter writing between the pair which made everything feel a little more poignant for me. I would really recommend this and gave it five stars.

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