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A review by alice666
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A mostly incisive commentary on the trauma enacted on black families due to prejudice and discrimination within the criminal justice system.
There were a lot of things I felt, especially from Roy, like this quote: ‘we aren’t all PC in prison, we say what’s on our mind,’ which absolutely nails the incremental effects of that experience and how you can never get who you were before back.
It should be heartbreaking, however the novel quickly just devolves into a soap opera about a fraught relationship that never should have lasted in the first place because he never respected her.
It made it hard to care and invest in the narrative and future of their marriage or relationship, which should’ve been the main purpose of this novel. But this is how he thinks about her, ‘I wanted her to wait for me, like women have been waiting before Jesus.’
It’s only slightly recovered at the end, but I was left to struggle with my frustrating lack of care throughout reading it. And since I couldn’t properly reckon with the inclusion of his casual misogyny, it almost ruined the book for me.
There were a lot of things I felt, especially from Roy, like this quote: ‘we aren’t all PC in prison, we say what’s on our mind,’ which absolutely nails the incremental effects of that experience and how you can never get who you were before back.
It should be heartbreaking, however the novel quickly just devolves into a soap opera about a fraught relationship that never should have lasted in the first place because he never respected her.
It made it hard to care and invest in the narrative and future of their marriage or relationship, which should’ve been the main purpose of this novel. But this is how he thinks about her, ‘I wanted her to wait for me, like women have been waiting before Jesus.’
It’s only slightly recovered at the end, but I was left to struggle with my frustrating lack of care throughout reading it. And since I couldn’t properly reckon with the inclusion of his casual misogyny, it almost ruined the book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Minor: Infidelity and Rape