An American Marriage by Tayari Jones is a story about Roy and Celestial, a recently married couple, planning for their future after graduating from college, hoping to have children, and live the American Dream. But Roy is accused of raping an older woman, a crime he did not commit, and sentenced to twelve years in prison. He returns to his marriage years later, hoping to recapture what was lost, but finds they are no longer the same people and that it’s difficult to be loyal to a memory.

I picked this book up when I was in South Dakota because the book description attracted me. Like Let Us Begin, it's a story about a young couple starting their life together, full of promise and hope for the American Dream.

An American Marriage also had similar themes: loyalty and betrayal in marriage, for example, and struggling to succeed.

While Tayari Jones’ characters are African American and mine are Latino, we both wrote about the challenges our cultures face in reaching the American Dream because of historical and societal realities.

Probably what attracted me most was that her novel, like mine, does not promise a happy ending. However, each takes the reader on a meaningful journey.

I obviously do not always choose my reading material based on how closely it matches my book (and the storyline does not match at all), but this one definitely attracted me for that reason. I'm glad I bought it and read it!