Date of Completion: 01/04/2020
On the surface, this book appears to be a book about race – A young, newly-wed black man is wrongfully convicted of a crime we know he did not commit (not a spoiler, the blurb gives this away) or so it seems.
“Much of life is timing and circumstance, I see that now.”
I love the above quote because we really do see this play out throughout the book. As we delve further into the book, it becomes clear that the topics being explored in addition to race are love, relationships, marriage and commitment – all wrapped in the journey of Celestial and Roy. As readers we are challenged to think about how you would love in an unconventional situation, what indeed makes a family. It certainly made me reflective on mine.
“But how you feel love and understand love are two different things.”
I enjoyed the writing style of Tayari. Despite the storyline of the book being explained in the blurb, there are still moments of surprise and intrigue that keep you reading. I liked the sectioning and multiple perspectives that we get, they help to understand the story in a way that we do not get in real life. For this reason, I would have liked Andre’s perspective at the end also.
I definitely recommend reading this book with someone else so you can discuss the questions at the end. Although this is not necessary, I do feel like certain books benefit from a shared reading experience and this book is one.
I struggled to put this book down and found myself picking it up whenever I had a spare moment. A true sign of a good book! So, four stars from me.
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