Tayari Jones

A stunning and beautifully told story about a young black married couple who are split apart when the man is falsely accused of rape. What happens to a marriage when one is behind bars and the other is free to live her life outside? Although incredibly painful to read at times, this work was so honest about human feelings and failings, as well as the possibility of second chances. I would recommend it to everyone, but you need to be able to handle the emotional pain. Realizing that in the show more real world people (especially people of color) are wrongfully incarcerated makes this work less fictional. I took off half a star for the way it raced to the ending, but that shouldn't prevent anyone from reading it. show less

First line: My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.

Dana Lynn Yarboro and Bunny Chaurise Witherspoon are sisters, but only Dana knows this. Dana’s mother, Gwen, married James 10 years after he had married Laverne, and just a few days after Chaurise was born. Gwen has always told Dana that her father has another family, and also made her understand that this is a private matter that cannot be discussed. But having the basic information isn’t enough for her; Dana hungers for more. What show more she really wants to know is does James “love” his other family? Or more importantly, does he love them MORE than he loves Dana and Gwen? Dana will not stop until she has elbowed her way into Chaurise’s life. And once the girls become friends their secrets are bound to come out.

I was completely drawn into the story of these two sisters, only one of which knows the other exists. Jones crafts a tale of a different family model that rings true. I recognize my own emotions and reactions in those of the characters, from the desire to be “Daddy’s little girl” to the need for recognition. Dana narrates the first half of the book, Chaurise the second. Through them we also learn about their mothers, grandmother, friends and neighbors.

Everyone, the men – James and his “brother” Raleigh – included, is flawed but trying to do the right thing, or at least the best she or he can do given past choices. The choices they make affect not just themselves but a wider circle of people, often with unintended results. In the end Jones shows that we must all live with the results – whether it was our choice or someone else’s. Every character wins and loses. The reader’s loyalties are conflicted – do we side with Gwen and Dana? With Laverne and Chaurise? In the end, we can love all of them, with all their flaws and despite some bad behavior. show less

Looking back on it, it's like watching a horror flick and wondering why the characters are so determined to ignore the danger signs. When a spectral voice says, GET OUT, you should do it. But in real life, you don't know that you're in a scary movie. You think your wife is being overly emotional. You quietly hope that it's because she's pregnant, because a baby is what you need to lock this thing in and throw away the key. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

“How did we end up here? My key works, but you won’t let me in.”
Celestial and Roy are made for each other, even though their relationship is not without fights. But they always manage to get together again. Some issues are hot topics - their different backgrounds, their families, having a child - so they try to avoid them. But sometimes these things come up nevertheless and one evening, their quarrel escalates. Fifteen minutes should be enough to cool down. But these fifteen minutes show more will change their lives, their fates and all the dreams they had for their future together. Nothing will be anymore as it was the next morning.

Tayari Jones’ novel hits you like a hammer. You cannot read it without getting involved deeply and asking yourself the question: how would I react in their place? What I loved utterly was the author’s way of foreshadowing: telling you that a meteor was to crash their lives or that this was their last happy evening for a long time; this creates an almost unbearable suspense, you absolutely want to know what is going to happen and thus, you surely cannot put down the book.

All in all, the story is a quite unique ménage à trois. On the one hand, Celestial and Roy, wed for some months and still somehow at the beginning of their common life. On the other hand, there is Andre who has been a friend of Celestial since their days in kindergarten, who befriended Roy in college and who actually made them acquainted with each other. Long hidden feelings for Celestial can no longer kept buried when she is in need of a shoulder to lie on. Reading the story as it is, you cannot really blame anyone for what they do. It just happens, but it doesn’t make you really happy either. Especially when compared to their parents’ marriages: a deep affection that lasts over decades and that survives even the biggest crises.

Apart from this, the novel is also highly critical in several respects: the American legal system, the way blacks are still treated today and have to fight harder than others and also the question of what makes a man a man and a father a father. A lot of food for thought written in a light style which is full of splendid metaphors that I absolutely adored. show less