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A review by lnocita
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
3.0
This is a well written novel. Jones has a definite narrative flair that I appreciated. I appreciated the alternating points of view and the epistolary format. So, for literary merit, I’d award more stars.
As for plot, I’m not sure where I stand. This is and is not a contemporary issues book. Is it about racial injustice? Lack of opportunity? Is it about the state of marriage in the modern world? Is it about shades of love? or is it simply about the choices we make and the unintended consequences?
I think perhaps I’m not qualified to speak about the premise of wrongful incarceration. White privilege blinds my perception in all likelihood. My experience in moving through the world is different simply because of the color of my skin. Does my experience of the world color my indignation? The story hinges on Roy’s wrongful conviction which drives an irreversible wedge into his marriage. The incident seems so refutable and the evidence so flimsy that it feels hard to believe that Roy would be convicted. I don’t want this to be truth. How prevalent is this? I know this is the plot device. Accept it and move on, reader. But I wanted the story to be more about this injustice. But maybe it isn’t because that’s just an accepted truth? If so, why isn’t there more outrage? Is the norm to acquiesce to institutional racism? More than the unraveling of the marriage, which seemed like a foregone conclusion, I wanted explore this aspect further. That’s the backdrop for the novel, but I wanted it to be more of a heralding call for systemic change. Asking too much, perhaps.
Roy’s eventual exoneration seems like an inevitable conclusion. And that wedge? Already in place but the incarceration cleaves the marriage in two more quickly. I think at its heart, the novel is an examination of what constitutes love. There are many levels of love that range from caring, affectionate, to deeply abiding. And then there are all the different kinds of relationships and roles we play. It’s complex and dynamic with the definitions changing and adjusting throughout the course of every relationship, ebbing and flowing, waxing and waning. Our unconscious mind often directing behind the scenes before the conscious brain has a chance to catch up. I don’t think Celestial and Roy were headed for happily ever after from the start but the unraveling spools much faster with his conviction.
I’d love to hear some thoughts about the title. The “American” is what gives me pause. Is this a uniquely American situation? Is the concept of marriage presented here so distinct so as to set it apart from other places? Or other times? Does it imply that marriage is a luxury of choice rather than circumstance? Does it equally imply that it’s dissolution is a luxury of choice and/or a casualty of American modernity? Or, in the end, is it simply two wrongs will never make a right, no matter how good the intention or best effort and the modern world allows you to recognize and rectify that with little censure? Food for thought.
As for plot, I’m not sure where I stand. This is and is not a contemporary issues book. Is it about racial injustice? Lack of opportunity? Is it about the state of marriage in the modern world? Is it about shades of love? or is it simply about the choices we make and the unintended consequences?
I think perhaps I’m not qualified to speak about the premise of wrongful incarceration. White privilege blinds my perception in all likelihood. My experience in moving through the world is different simply because of the color of my skin. Does my experience of the world color my indignation? The story hinges on Roy’s wrongful conviction which drives an irreversible wedge into his marriage. The incident seems so refutable and the evidence so flimsy that it feels hard to believe that Roy would be convicted. I don’t want this to be truth. How prevalent is this? I know this is the plot device. Accept it and move on, reader. But I wanted the story to be more about this injustice. But maybe it isn’t because that’s just an accepted truth? If so, why isn’t there more outrage? Is the norm to acquiesce to institutional racism? More than the unraveling of the marriage, which seemed like a foregone conclusion, I wanted explore this aspect further. That’s the backdrop for the novel, but I wanted it to be more of a heralding call for systemic change. Asking too much, perhaps.
Roy’s eventual exoneration seems like an inevitable conclusion. And that wedge? Already in place but the incarceration cleaves the marriage in two more quickly. I think at its heart, the novel is an examination of what constitutes love. There are many levels of love that range from caring, affectionate, to deeply abiding. And then there are all the different kinds of relationships and roles we play. It’s complex and dynamic with the definitions changing and adjusting throughout the course of every relationship, ebbing and flowing, waxing and waning. Our unconscious mind often directing behind the scenes before the conscious brain has a chance to catch up. I don’t think Celestial and Roy were headed for happily ever after from the start but the unraveling spools much faster with his conviction.
I’d love to hear some thoughts about the title. The “American” is what gives me pause. Is this a uniquely American situation? Is the concept of marriage presented here so distinct so as to set it apart from other places? Or other times? Does it imply that marriage is a luxury of choice rather than circumstance? Does it equally imply that it’s dissolution is a luxury of choice and/or a casualty of American modernity? Or, in the end, is it simply two wrongs will never make a right, no matter how good the intention or best effort and the modern world allows you to recognize and rectify that with little censure? Food for thought.