An American Marriage

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones   320 pages    Comes out in February, 2018  I read an e-galley

Celestial and Roy are newlyweds, shining examples of the New South and American Dream, secure in their love for each other and their bright future. However, one night changes everything and from that point on, nothing is ever the same. Told through first-person narratives and letters, this story explores what it means to hold on a relationship through difficult circumstances, and how it can start to become clear that love may not be enough.

I enjoyed this story, even though at times I felt like a voyeur into the lives of the characters. This absorbing story takes into lives of people that you can easily imagine, and for some readers, they may see their own friends and families in these characters. The author brings our main characters to life in clear detail, but doesn't neglect the supporting characters, which bring a fullness to this story. I liked that the storyline was believable, as were the reactions of the characters. Celestial isn't a saint and neither is Roy. Both of them do their best, and I got the sense throughout that these were basically good people at heart who were sometimes derailed or swayed by the circumstances facing them.

The Mothers

The Mothers by Brit Bennett.  288 pages.  e-galley read, courtesy of Edelweiss; book is due out in October, 2016

The Mothers know a good secret from a bad one, and notice what goes on in the lives of others.  In this contemporary Black community in California, it all begins with a secret.  Nadia is a high school senior, mourning her mother’s recent death, and smitten with the local pastor’s son, Luke.  It’s not a serious romance, but then takes a turn when a pregnancy (and subsequent cover-up) happen.  The impact sends ripples through the community, reaching beyond their youth and into adulthood.  What if they had made different choices?  The Mothers ask us to contemplate this question, as well as how our decisions shape our lives.

There are multiple viewpoints in the story, which can be at times tricky to keep track of.  The collective voice of the Mothers in the community is a voice unto itself, narrating and guiding the reader through the story.  I found this to be a thoughtful book, and liked how there were differences in the feel between voices in the story. 

Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  152 pages.

“This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.”   Written as a letter to his son, Coates explores race through history, and what it means t him today.  "Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. "   (courtesy of Goodreads).  

I borrowed the Goodreads summary a bit because I felt I wouldn't be able to describe this book as well.   It's a short book, but I felt it was powerfully written, and thought-provoking.   Getting Coates' views on American history, as well as his personal history, is an interesting way to analyze race and history.   I found the way the book was written, as a personal letter, was emotional and made the book resonate with me.  This is definitely an example of the personal as political, and the historical as personal and political.  

Turner House

The Turner House by Angela Flournoy
341 Pages


"The Turners have lived on Yarrow Street for over fifty years. Their house has seen thirteen children grown and gone--and some returned; it has seen the arrival of grandchildren, the fall of Detroit's East Side, and the loss of a father. The house still stands despite abandoned lots, an embattled city, and the inevitable shift outward to the suburbs. But now, as ailing matriarch Viola finds herself forced to leave her home and move in with her eldest son, the family discovers that the house is worth just a tenth of its mortgage. The Turner children are called home to decide its fate and to reckon with how each of their pasts haunts--and shapes--their family's future."

An engrossing novel with a strong narrative voice.  I enjoyed it thoroughly.