Celestial and Roy have been married a year when he is wrongfully imprisoned. This is a story of a marriage gradually, almost imperceptibly falling apart. It leads to many questions. Could this have happened to a white couple? How strong was their marriage anyway? How well did they know one another prior to their wedding? The story is told through the devices of their letters to each other while Roy is incarcerated and then, later as the story develops, by devoting chapters to the events that unfold from the standpoint of each of the principal characters. Successful, involving devices. This is a story that carried me along, despite my finding the characters generally unsympathetic. It's a book I enjoyed, but I have at the moment little motivation to try any more work by Jones. ( )

A Love Story, the Tale of an American Marriage

Although Tamari Jones has written that this is essentially a love story, it is also a social commentary. But as a love story, it speaks to men and women of all races. In the end, there are relationships in which love is not enough. When tragedy occurs, some relationships cannot survive.
It is also a story about new beginnings, and finding a relationship and a life that truly fits who you are. All things considered, it had a "happy" ending. ( )

Superb storytelling, complex and memorable characters, and a spellbinding story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. ( )

I hated this book. ( )

This is a difficult story for me to rate. I had high expectations based on reviews. As it turned out, I really didn’t care for two of the three main characters (Roy and Celestial) but I’m giving 3 stars because it was a page turner for me and I wanted to know how it ended. ( )