A constant point of contention in their marriage is Roy’s desire to have a child and Celestial’s reluctance. Although we read very early on in the novel that Celestial is “…the kind of woman who will never belong to anyone” she chooses to marry Roy and always seems to wrestle with the ramifications of this choice.
One of the aspects that definitely stood out to me was the idea of choice or lack thereof, that was displayed by so many of the characters at different points in the novel. Even in his need to get random women’s numbers, all these things seemed to stem from a similar sense of inadequacy. Whether he was trying to climb the corporate ladder and reach beyond his simple upbringings, or ‘sit’ his wife Celestial and have a family right away. Obviously, because he was imprisoned for something he didn’t do but also because it felt as if all of his life he was reaching for something that was just slightly outside of his reach, to compensate for where he felt he lacked.
He felt so stubborn and toed the line of toxic masculinity but a part of me still felt for him. I found Roy’s character so infuriating at times. These literary tactics definitely made me more empathetic to certain characters I otherwise would’ve written off completely. It gave great insight into how the characters viewed themselves and pushed the reader to read between the lines in many instances. The “Dear John” letters between Celestial and Roy also added another layer of depth. Her choice to narrate from multiple characters’ point of view only enhanced this aspect - it was like burrowing into the mind of each character and uncovering a hidden facet that added to their identity.
Jones does a great job developing characters that are full of depth and complexity. It was truly a page-turner and a deeply emotional and affecting story. The story follows the ripple effect of Roy’s imprisonment - on their marriage, their friendships and their families, and emphasizes the choices we make, those we cannot make and those that are made for us. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones follows newlyweds Celestial and Roy as their already unstable marriage is put to the test when Roy is sent to jail for a crime he did not commit. When Oprah, Obama and nearly every person you follow on Instagram agrees that a book is good, you know you’re in for an amazing read.
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