AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE

An American Marriage is a thoroughly affecting, deeply unsettling novel that explores the relationship between Roy and Celeste, two upwardly mobile African-American newlyweds in the South, as they are torn apart by racially charged circumstances beyond their control. As Roy and Celeste confront the future of their marriage with letters to one another and alternating chapter perspectives, we follow uneasily along their divergent paths, sympathizing with both yet unable to keep from taking sides.

This book is a melancholy, beautifully written study in all kinds of vulnerability. The fragility of relationships is revealed through tiny details and subtle nuances. We see, too, the powerlessness of best intentions to defend against racial injustice. American Marriage tells us that Roy and Celeste are not afforded the luxury of complacency as they pursue their personal and professional goals - guards must be up, ready for any tragic or unfair turn of events to upend carefully mapped out plans. An American Marriage delivers this point in poignant and heartbreaking ways.

Choosing an item to cook from this book was not hard. A simple pear plays a key symbolic role in this story, one of longing, desperation and shame. This pear upside-down cake from Bon Appetit magazine was definitely intended for more experienced cooks than I am - it was labor intensive and tricky to pull off, but the results were really delicious.