An American Marriage

Tayari Jones · b. 1970 · United States

Why it matters

Newlyweds Roy and Celestial's marriage is upended when Roy is wrongly convicted and imprisoned, their bond tested by years of letters and Celestial's growing closeness to a childhood friend. An Obama-endorsed, Oprah-selected novel that asks what home and fidelity still mean after wrongful rupture.

At a glance

Clear, direct prose and alternating narrators make for an accessible, emotionally driven read.