An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
This is a beautifully written book about a marriage and the people in it (Celestial and Roy) and what happens when justice goes wrong — Roy is wrongly accused of rape and sent to prison. What can Celestial reasonably be expected to do? For how long? The book doesn’t take sides–it left me feeling that both parties were right, even though their wishes were in conflict–a true testament to psychological storytelling. And of course there is an element of commentary on race, but the book doesn’t dwell on it, and successfully avoids any sort of didactic tone. A great read.
Amy P. Knight 