I listened to the audiobook and have mixed feelings about it. It felt real and authentic to have both a male and a female narrator. The male narrator’s Southern accent made it feel even more realistic. The story was interesting and important, especially because it talks about the American justice system and how it treats Black men. The beginning was very strong, but later the story lost some of its power. I liked the part with the letters between Roy and Celeste. It was a good way to tell their relationship. But I didn’t like that the male narrator also read Celeste’s letters. He made his voice higher to sound like her, but it made her sound weak and naive. I don’t understand why the female narrator didn’t read them instead, since she was already part of the audiobook. I especially liked her voice. As for the story: as I said, it started strong, but it became weaker. The way the book shows a young marriage being destroyed by state violence and injustice was touching. Roy was innocent and many unfair things happened to him. When he finally got out, he had lost a lot – most of all, time with his mother. That was very sad. Still, I struggled to feel sympathy for him. His thoughts and behavior were often sexist and patriarchal, and that put me off. At one point, I even expected the ending to reveal that he had, in fact, committed the crime. Celeste, I think I liked mainly because of the female narrator’s voice. But I agree with other reviews: she seems selfish, cold, and without much energy. She moves between two men without showing much emotion, and in the end, she seems depressed and without motivation, even apathic. The title An American Marriage feels somewhat misplaced at first. Yet, what or how is a marriage in the USA? It reflects the contrast between Roy’s patriarchal Southern view of marriage and Celeste’s more liberal perspective; a gap they could never bridge. In the end, I can’t say I really liked the book, but I still think the story was interesting.