An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Clues to describe this book: Infidelity, Hardship, Loss, Injustice

Review: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones was my February BOTM pick and was also Oprah’s book selection. This contemporary novel follows the marriage of Roy and Celestial. After Roy gets incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit, his and Celestial’s marriage is tested. The novel unfolds their relationship from both his and her perspectives along with the couple’s best friend, Andre. Give all the hype and positive reviews, I had high hopes when starting this novel. Ultimately, I was sorely disappointed. This book was not my cup of tea at all. The writing was mediocre. All the characters were unlikable and annoying. None of the characters actually value any relationships and they are all selfish in their own ways. Playing devil’s advocate, I can understand why some people might find this book to be some powerful epic love story even though I didn’t feel it that way. Overall if you’re okay with hating all the characters in a novel and could trudge through the novel, then be my guest and read it. If not, then I would highly recommend to skip this.