Evening Book Club: Book Club
Contact Information
For more information regarding the Evening Book Club, please contact: Jaclyn Gomez at jgomez@rcls.org
Meeting Schedule
Next Meeting:
October 26, 2020
Via ZOOM
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
- Jones named her novel An American Marriage, a title which suggests this novel has something specific to say about marriage in America. What do you think this novel is saying about marriage? What makes the events of this novel specifically American?
- For Celestial, it seems as if certain behaviors are expected of her as a woman and, even more specifically, as Black woman. What sort of expectations do we see her family and Roy place on her? Are these expectations fair? Do you agree with how she responded to them?
- This story is told in three alternating perspectives: Celestial, Roy, and Andre. Was there a certain perspective you responded more positively towards? How do you think you would view these characters differently if the story was told only from Celestial’s point of view? Or Roy’s?
- In an interview Tayari Jones did for Book Riot, she said that before doing research for this book, she was interested in prison reform. Now, she’s more interested in the work of prison abolitionists because “I don’t see how our prison system is working for anyone—not the people who have committed crimes, not the victims, not the tax payers. Nobody is winning here.” Does this novel illustrate that perspective? Did reading this novel affect your opinion on the American prison system?
- This novel’s pacing is interesting in that it focuses in on specific moments of time for an extended period, speeds through others through the exchange of letters, and skips over periods of time entirely to move on to the next important moment. Why do you think Jones chose the moments she did to write about in detail? What effect did the fast passage of time have on the narrative?
- There are so many beautiful insights about love and the nature of love in this novel. For instance, Jones writes, “Love is the enemy of sound judgment, and occasionally this is in service of the good.” Do you agree with this sentiment? How does love affect characters’ decisions in this novel?
- Without including a spoiler that would give away this plot point, Roy meets someone incredibly important while he’s in prison. What do you think this added to the story? Did it change Roy in any significant way, and if so, how?
- Have you read If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin or the film adaptation of the novel directed by Barry Jenkins? Both stories have a similar premise but with very different outcomes. How would you compare the stories, and why do you think these characters responded so differently to such similar circumstances?
- How did you feel about the ending of this novel? Was it hopeful at all? Did you want things to turn out differently for these characters, and if so, how? Is there a potential ending that would have left Celestial, Roy, and Andre in a happy place?
Source: https://bookriot.com/an-american-marriage-book-club-questions/
Book Summary
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive and she is artist on the brink of an exciting career. They are settling into the routine of their life together, when they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
An interview with the author
Dorothy Toy Fong
Book Reviews
Reviews of our current book.
Click on the links to read the full review!
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The New York TimesTayari Jones’s wise and compassionate new novel, “An American Marriage,” tells us a story we think we know. Roy, a young black man, is tried and wrongly convicted of rape while his wife, Celestial, waits for his return. But Jones’s story isn’t the one we are expecting, a courtroom drama or an examination of the prison-industrial complex; instead, it is a clear vision of the quiet devastation of a family...
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The AtlanticReading someone else’s private letters feels almost as intrusive as spying on them through their living-room window. The personalized salutation, the handwriting quirks, and the inside jokes sprinkled throughout offer a glimpse at an interior world only the recipient is meant to see. There is no performance, no act put on for third-party observers. And while perusing just one letter between two people provides hints into their relationship, digging into a whole trove of letters sent over the course of several years can reveal intricacies that face-to-face interaction with the authors never would.
It is this sort of intimacy that Tayari Jones so searchingly explores in her new novel, An American Marriage... -
NPRDuring a fellowship to Harvard, writer Tayari Jones spent months and months studying the intersection of race and criminal justice. She learned a lot about the American criminal justice system. She knew all the grim statistics. But she was still searching for the inspiration for a novel she'd hope to write: one that involved an individual's encounter with the system, and the subsequent ripples that touch that person's community...
The Author's Website
The author's website.
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Tayari JonesFor information on the author: back ground information, awards, bibliography, etc.
Do you have a suggestion for a book?
Is there a book you love that you would like to share? How about a title that you've had on your "to read" list for a while? Send an email to bkdiscuss@hkdpl.org and you can join in the reading fun.