An American Marriage

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of cursing and racism.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did Jones’s decision to tell the story from three different perspectives (Roy, Celestial, and Dre) affect your reading experience? Was there one narrator you found more compelling or trustworthy than the others?

2. How did you respond to Jones’s portrayal of a marriage fractured by wrongful imprisonment? For readers familiar with Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing, which also explores how incarceration affects families, how do these works differ in their approach to similar themes?

3. The novel ends with all characters finding some form of peace, yet not in the ways they originally hoped. Did you find this ending satisfying, troubling, or something else entirely? What does it suggest about Jones’s view of modern relationships?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Roy, Celestial, and Dre each experience different forms of loyalty and betrayal throughout the novel. Reflect on a time in your life when you had to balance competing loyalties. How did you navigate that situation?

2. The novel explores how incarceration affects not just the imprisoned person but their entire social network. Has your life ever been dramatically altered by circumstances beyond your control? How did you respond?

3. Both Celestial and Roy find ways to express themselves creatively—Celestial through her dolls and Roy through letter-writing. What creative outlets have helped you process difficult emotions or experiences?

4. Throughout the book, characters struggle with the question of how long to wait for a person. Have you ever had to decide whether to wait for someone or move on with your life? What factors influenced your decision?

5. Roy often notes that his concept of “home” changes throughout the novel. How has your own definition of home evolved throughout your life?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Roy states: “You’re black, employed, heterosexual, unincarcerated, and into sisters. This shit’s your fucking oyster” (265). How does the novel portray the intersection of race, gender, and the criminal justice system in America?

2. How does Jones address the mass incarceration of Black men in America without making it the central focus of the novel? Did this approach make the social commentary more or less effective for you?

3. Celestial achieves considerable success with her doll-making business while Roy is in prison. What does the novel suggest about changing gender roles and economic opportunities for Black women in contemporary America?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel makes significant use of letter writing during Roy’s imprisonment. How does this epistolary format reveal aspects of Roy and Celestial’s relationship that might not be apparent in their face-to-face interactions?

2. Jones introduces the novel’s central conflict—Roy’s wrongful conviction—very early in the book. How does this decision shape the rest of the narrative and your engagement with the characters?

3. The symbol of Celestial’s handcrafted dolls appears throughout the novel. What do you think these dolls represent, and how does their meaning evolve over the course of the story?

4. The narrative frequently returns to the theme of fatherhood through various father-son relationships. How do these relationships (Big Roy and Roy, Walter/Othaniel and Roy, Carlos and Dre) complicate our understanding of family in the novel?

5. How does Jones use physical spaces—prison, Eloe, Atlanta, the homes of various characters—to reflect the characters’ emotional states and relationship dynamics?

6. Roy’s lost tooth becomes a significant symbol in the novel. What might this tooth represent, and how does its meaning change from the beginning to the end of the story?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The Epilogue takes place through letters exchanged several months after Roy and Celestial part ways. Draft a letter from one character to another, written five years after the novel’s conclusion.

2. What challenges would a director face when adapting this novel to film? Which scenes would be most powerful on screen, and which actors would best capture the essence of Roy, Celestial, and Dre?

3. Celestial’s artistic journey with her dolls parallels her emotional journey throughout the novel. What artwork would you create to represent a pivotal moment or relationship from the book?

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