
As author Tayari Jones has herself pointed out, An American Marriage, winner of the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction and an Oprah Book Club 2.0 selection, was a “breakthrough” nearly two decades in the making, reaching an audience many times over that of three previous well-regarded novels. For that reason, as well as the tale’s topical backdrop, the dissection crew was eager to explore how a devoted novelist remained true to her voice while still managing to capture the zeitgeist of the times.
“How did the author do it?” is the key question behind all of our discussions. And in this case, over a four-day period, it became clear that, despite quibbles over a narrative structure that at times created distance from the story action, Jones achieved her due by focusing on three aspects that elevated her story:
- Jones crafted an intimate, heartfelt story against the backdrop of a larger, intractable menace.
- She developed realistic, flawed characters whose rich backstories enhance the story and challenge the reader.
- She continually opened up her story in surprising ways, raising stakes and ratcheting up the tension.
While I promise to keep final novel outcomes hidden, fair warning that *spoilers* do lurk in the following samplings of the group’s discussion of these attributes.
The Personal becomes the Universal
Hints of trouble are already brewing when newlyweds Roy Hamilton Jr. and Celestial Davenport begin a fateful trek from their moderately affluent home in Atlanta to the home of his parents in the rural town of Eloe, Louisiana. The give and take of a new marriage, and a love still finding its footing, are things every young couple must face. But any hope of a natural evolution for Roy and Celestial’s relationship is quickly shattered when Roy is falsely accused of rape and swiftly railroaded into a 12-year prison sentence despite a shocking lack of evidence. Yet Jones wisely avoids sending her story along a didactic path on the evils of a compromised system of justice or confining the plot within the constraints of a judicial procedural. Instead, she charts an unexpected route, one filled with hard choices and second chances (even if not the kinds one might have chosen) begins to emerge from their unfortunate fate, offering an even richer tale for the reader. Jan O’Hara captured that sense well when she said, “Setting aside the issue of an imperfect and biased justice system, the central question for me was about loyalty and what actually binds a marriage together.”
It is the highly personal story arcs that arise from character misfortunes which give An American Marriage its resonance. As Elissa Field explained, “The more vividly specific she (Jones) got in writing about a very specific conflict or character, the story became that much more universal in its impact.”
Flawed Characters whose Backstories Enrich the Tale
Of course, such impact is only possible if the characters are compelling, and Jones excelled at creating memorable ones. Her cast of characters, both major and secondary, weren’t always likable; but they were all undeniably human. As Elissa observed, “I was impressed by the ways that Jones portrayed how adults are aware of the imperfection of their choices, even in the moments of making those choices.” Indeed, Jones never hid their imperfections. Instead, she wisely chose a narrative structure which allowed her characters to reveal them in their own words.
Moreover, each character action, particularly painful ones when there was no right answer, were informed by bountiful backstories – family histories, admitted flaws, lamentations over past mistakes. These seamlessly woven passages exposed the reader to their core motivations. Nancy Johnson in particular was impressed by the author’s skill in this area. As she put it, “I loved the opening backstory from Roy and Celestial. It was as if they were speaking directly to me about who they are. Those first chapters helped me connect with them. Yet the tension was still there. I knew something big would turn their world upside down.”
This delicate balance of allowing unvarnished confessions from her characters while keeping the mystery of how their competing desires and flawed perspectives would ultimately play out was one Jones maintained from the opening page until the final coda.
A Story that Expands in Surprising Ways (long after the opening act)
On Day 3 of our discussion, Alisha Rohde hit upon an interesting aspect of Jones’s character development when she offered this praise, “I appreciated that we got Andre’s vivid internal life, not just Roy’s and Celestial’s.” Jan O’Hara pointed out that the sudden deep dive into a character who until well into the novel had seemed a secondary character was an interesting choice. But it was far from the only one. An American Marriage continually tripped up the reader with reveals that changed the dynamic. Elizabeth Havey praised “the skill of the writer — introducing us to many characters and then revealing more about them and their inner desires and drives when something stirs the waters or upsets the balance.”
The continual expansion of the story into new territory, coupled with the conflicted obligations of its characters – to themselves and to each other – created a rising sense of tension. Many readers, myself included, feared the characters, as well-intentioned as they had been at the start, might well find themselves in dire opposition with each other. All of them were suffering the fallout of a false imprisonment that had led them to choices they otherwise would never have made, until ultimately there was no way to avoid hurting someone for whom they care or had once cared.
And it is during this painful culmination when the wisdom of Jones’s approach to her modern fable shines through, for her making the stakes so highly personal leads to a profound revelation. As Elissa concluded,
This tension is what forces a reader back onto the conclusion that it is society that has to change. People in the characters’ situations cannot be healed, and society has to realize the damage and stop breaking them this way.”
These are just a few of our takeaways in a novel offering numerous lessons. But what are your thoughts? If you read An American Marriage, what aspects did you find intriguing, helpful, or even frustrating? If you haven’t read it, might your work in progress benefit from these techniques? Could a deep dive into a character stretch your story in new direction? Would a surprising twist heighten the tension? Should you go further in increasing the personal stakes for your characters? Please share your thoughts below, so that we can learn together.
And if you’d like to join the group for our next dissection of My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, please join us on Facebook. We would love to welcome you aboard!
About John J Kelley
John J Kelley crafts tales of individuals at a crossroads, exploring themes of growth, reconciliation and community. His debut novel, The Fallen Snow, about a young soldier’s homecoming at the close of WWI, received a Publishers Weekly starred review and earned an Honorable Mention nod at the 2012 Foreword Reviews Book-of-the-Year Awards. Born and raised in the Florida panhandle, John graduated from Virginia Tech and for a time served as a military officer. Today he lives with his partner in Washington, DC.
I have not read this book, but I may after reading your dissection.
In particular, I found this point from Elissa to be profound :
“The more vividly specific she (Jones) got in writing about a very specific conflict or character, the story became that much more universal in its impact.”
A specificity that creates universal impact would be worth studying, so thank you John for your post.
You’re welcome, James!
One of the things I enjoy about participating in the WU Dissection group is the exploration of novels I might never read, or might never get around to reading. We strive to cover a mix of genres and styles, so over time have explored a bit of everything — thrillers, sci-fi, YA to literary fiction. You name it, and we’ve likely hit upon it at least once. A number of members, myself included, have observed that we sometimes learn the most from genres outside our own natural interests.
I actually had a hard time getting into An American Marriage. Some of it had to do with the structure – each chapter is written almost like a diary or confessional from a different character, sharing their recollection of events that unfolded. As mentioned in the write-up, that created a degree of distance from the action. Yet the writing was smooth and approachable. It was only as I got further into the story that I realized my reticence had more to do with the fact that the characters were indeed flawed. Good people, but all too human in their sometimes less-than-stellar reactions or choices.
Once I accepted them as they were – because none of us is perfect – I became more invested in their outcomes.
Natalie Hart, another participant, had a wise observation about the realism of the characters, which I’m paraphrasing. She basically said that Jones’s creation of characters, particularly falsely-imprisoned Roy, having realistic foibles made a good point — Are only perfect people worthy of justice?
I forgot about that comment! The novel is a great exploration of that question.
It is, indeed.
Never read it but will now! Thanks
You’re welcome, Irene. It was a worthwhile read, both for the story and the lessons learned by seeing how Jones pulled it all together. I’ve thought about it so much since our discussion that I’ve just downloaded her first novel – Leaving Atlanta – which I intend to dive into on an upcoming trip.
Have a great day. Write On!
Great summary, John! One of the things I’d add was that Tayari’s skill at weaving complicated characters not only made my sympathies shift, but, interestingly, the character’s sympathies shifted as social connection trumped family (thinking of Celestial’s father). It kept the tension going, for sure.
Yes, that is an excellent point, one I noticed even more while preparing for the post. There was a lot to take in on the first read. It was a book that required some reflection … which I love ;).
Excellent summary, John Kelley. I’ve been reading through all the comments over recent days since you posted the link. I always learn from and have my eyes opened by these discussions. Looking forward to “My Sister” in October. That should be another fascinating dissection and elucidation of what a breakthrough author accomplished, and how.
Thanks, Julie. And,yes, I too am definitely intrigued by our next read. It’s an interesting concept, that’s for sure. ;).
Look forward to sharing opinions soon.
Well done, John! I’m in awe of this group’s collective ability to distill a sprawling dissection into a few pithy lessons.
I’ve read next month’s book already–it’s a very fast read. Can’t wait to dive in and see the comments.
It is remarkable, isn’t it? I am always amazed by the wisdom a group of writers can bring to almost any issue. Viva the writers! :)
Looking forward to our next read too. Definitely a novel that found an audience with a topic few would tackle.
There’s a big market for angry, anti-hero women characters right now. I theorize that’s due to the political environment.
Great summary of our conversation, John–that was not an easy task. I was mostly away from the computer over the weekend, so am just now catching up. So glad you brought up Elissa’s comment about the specific and the universal…a good reminder. Even weeks later I find scenes and symbols from Jones’ story are still lingering in productive ways.
Looking forward to the next discussion, as always!