An American Marriage

by Tayari Jones

An American Marriage was a compelling reads, not least because of the way it forces readers to confront the brutal injustice of a system rigged against Black men and the ripple effects that follow. Jones writes with immense empathy, and I admired how she laid bare the emotional wreckage incarceration leaves in its path. But I also found myself weary of a familiar narrative thread: why must so many stories tackling racial injustice hinge on women straying while their partners sit in prison? I know it’s more complicated than that here, but the pattern still grates. As if Black love, tested by state violence, must also be fractured by infidelity to truly hit hard.