“Jones writes with such companionable intelligence.” - Wall Street Journal
“A tense and timely love story. Told in letters and from alternating perspectives, packed with brave questions about race and class, An American Marriage is the perfect book-club book—one the whole group will finish and discuss with conviction.” - People
“Breathtaking. . . . Through her indelible characters, Jones masterfully probes denial and the ways it slowly seeps into the cracks and crevices of a shaky marriage until at last, it fully embodies it.” - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Compelling. . . . Spun with tender patience by Jones, who cradles each of these characters in a story that pulls our sympathies in different directions. She never ignores their flaws, their perfectly human tendency toward self-justification, but she also captures their longing to be kind, to be just, to somehow behave well despite the contradictory desires of the heart.” - Denver Post
“Contrary to Hollywood norms . . . is the fact that An American Marriage does not focus on prison reform. Nor does it spend much time on racial profiling or rape. Rather, Jones examines the countless ways in which “marriage” can be turned, twisted, and redefined. Her agenda is personal, not political, and with each shift in point-of-view from Roy to Celestial and eventually to Andre—the person initially responsible for the couple’s fusion, and now, potentially its fission—we’re more invested in their well-being.” - The Rumpus.com
“Readers of An American Marriage will discover a bold, big Southern story to match its ambitious title.” - BookPage
“Tayari Jones is blessed with vision to see through to the surprising and devastating truths at the heart of ordinary lives, strength to wrest those truths free, and a gift of language to lay it all out, compelling and clear. That has been true from her very first book, but with An American Marriage that vision, that strength, and that truth-telling voice have found a new level of artistry and power.” - Michael Chabon, author of Moonglow
“I love An American Marriage, and I’m so excited for this book to be in the world. Tayari’s novel is timely, thoughtful, and beautifully written. Reading it, I found myself angry as hell, laughing out loud, choking up and cheering. A gem of a book.” - Jacqueline Woodson, author of Another Brooklyn
“Subtle, well-crafted, and powerful . . . This is, at its heart, a love story, but a love story warped by racial injustice. And, in it, Jones suggests that racial injustice haunts the African-American story.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Novelist Jones writes brilliantly about expectations and loss and racial injustice, and how love must evolve when our best laid plans go awry.” - Esquire
“One of America’s finest writers, Tayari Jones has offered up another masterpiece with her latest novel, a tremendously powerful story about love, injustice, inequality, and strength. An American Marriage reveals how quickly dreams can be derailed due to systemic malignant forces all around us. It’s a novel of vision and grace, and it will bury itself in your consciousness.” - Nylon Magazine
“Heart-wrenching. . . . An American Marriage poses profound questions about what we owe each other, and what injustices we allow to persist.” - Huffington Post
“Tayari Jones weaves a moving love story in her new novel, An American Marriage.” - SouthernLiving.com
“Jones (Silver Sparrow) lays bare the devastating effects of wrongful imprisonment in this piercing tale of an unspooling marriage. . . . Masterfully executed: Jones uses her love triangle to explore simmering class tensions and reverberating racial injustice in the contemporary South, while also delivering a satisfying romantic drama.” - Publishers Weekly
“Layered like Pearl Cleage’s What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, this title will appeal to all readers of contemporary fiction.” - Library Journal (starred review)
“Powerful. . . . In our greatest tragedies, there is the feeling of no escape—and when the storytelling is just right, we feel consumed by the heartbreak.” - The Millions
“Tayari Jones lets us know she is a master of writing with this enchanting novel. This book is what literary fiction should aspire to be: timely, elegant, and powerful. Jones’ masterful prose and gripping characters makes An American Marriage an instant classic.” - Book Riot
“Tayari Jones provides an essential contemporary portrait of a marriage in this searing novel. An American Marriage gorgeously evokes the New South as it explores mass incarceration on a personal level.” - Entertainment Weekly
“Nuanced and evocative. . . . An American Marriage is a compelling exploration of the thorny conflicts that drive us apart and bind us, the distorting weight of racism, and how commitment looks across time—and generations.” - BBC.com
“Breathtaking. . . . Jones is a master with words and An American Marriage is the wordsmith at the top of her game.” - Bitch Media
“An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.” - The Rumpus.com
“Exquisite. . . . Jones’ writing is honey-rich, every word encapsulating the taste of the South.” - Bustle
“This utterly gripping novel from Tayari Jones explores marriage in an intimate and realistic way, making it an engaging read for both married and single audiences alike. This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control.” - Paste Magazine
“Tayari Jones has emerged as one of the most important voices of her generation.” - Essence
“Epic . . . transcendent, triumphant . . . Jones . . . is a genius at tackling big-picture subjects such as love, identity, race, loyalty, and injustice. Jones’s deft story pacing and breathtaking language make An American Marriage one of 2018’s best novels.” - Elle
“The radiantly talented Tayari Jones has written a deeply beautiful and painful novel that examines the crush of false imprisonment through An American Marriage.” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Jonses’ fourth and best novel. . . . Celestial is Jones’ finest creation to date. . . . True to its title, An American Marriage speaks universal truths, even as its author and characters never forget who they are and where they’re from.” - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel