A review by bookmeabreak
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

dark emotional tense 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

5.0

"𝑢𝒏𝒆 π’Šπ’” 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 π’Šπ’” 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’“π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’•. π‘»π’‰π’†π’š 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’”π’‚π’Žπ’† 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 π’Šπ’π’•π’†π’“π’„π’‰π’‚π’π’ˆπ’†π’‚π’ƒπ’π’†." 

π”Έπ•Ÿ π”Έπ•žπ•–π•£π•šπ•”π•’π•Ÿ π•„π•’π•£π•£π•šπ•’π•˜π•– - TᴀʏᴀᴿΙͺ Jᴏɴᴇ
⭐(πŸ€·πŸΎβ€β™€οΈ/5) 

This is a first. This one... Hm. I really don't know. This one kind of put me in a pickle. It took me THEE longest to read and listen to. The male narrator I was in love with, I knew it wasn't him, but I still kept checking the name of the actor didn't change to Blair Underwood. But anyway! This was a pickle because I feel like I kept trying to read more and then a certain spot would make me stop to think about it. Long and hard and a 8ish hour audible stretched into 2 weeks... Might be longer, I dunno. 

Let's start with the female character Georgia, she had another name but I mostly remember Georgia so I'll stick to that. I had way too many mixed emotions about her. First. Before anything went down, she gave me these red flags for some reason. Not exactly selfish, but kinda? But also somehow people pleasing? Don't ask me how you do both but she managed it. I don't know something about her just rubbed me wrong and a lot of the story I just wanted to ignore anything she said or did. I did not. Secondly, I found, home girl is just like me. I am not a rider or a down a$$ B. If you are in jail for longer than the weekend. I no. I aint waiting. 

This situation though! 

It made me want to shed some tears because this really does happen. "The tall black man did it" turns into, "Hey, you there black man, you did this!" And case closed, life gone for years no repercussions even after... Look it pissed me off and I walked away several times. 

So. I don't know what to do in this situation and I hated reading about it and I simultaneously loved it because it ends with everyone being in the same predicament. The audience and the characters. Just kinda moving on. It's resolved and it simultaneously isn't. It's a limbo I never want to experience. One character, Grorgia gets her happy ending and Roy gets a "this is the best I can hope for." And it's neither of their fault. 

Roy, FYI I can't tell you how I feel cause I only have a half of him at different angles. The beginning when he was a goof/good guy to a point and had virtually everything... And then the after when he has lost everything and I just don't know how to grade this book but I LOVED EVERYTHING even the things I hated. 

β„‚π• π•Ÿπ•—π•¦π•€π•–π•• β„π•–π•’π••π•šπ•Ÿπ•˜
π˜‘π˜’π˜Ί π˜”π˜’π˜Ί π˜–π˜Άπ˜΅