Summer Book Recommendation #2: Tuesday's Reflection

Surprise!

Take a peak in our backyard and you will discover a surprise.
My husband is an avid gardener and our backyard is glorious this time of year, thanks to all his efforts, but in one instance he had some help. 

We have a surprise sunflower. Some bird must have decided we needed this treat and dropped a seed right by the back door to the garage. No, it wasn't part of the master plan, but there it is and it makes us smile.

My 2nd Summer Book Recommendation is a bit of a surprise, too, although, except for the fine writing, it didn't make me smile. The book is An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and I hope you will read this book so we can talk about it.

Part of the surprise is that I requested it from the library, and I never dreamed it would be my turn to read it so quickly, especially since it has been reviewed so well. 

Here are the basics: Roy and Celestial are an upwardly mobile black couple, and he is accused of rape and sentenced to prison for 12 years. He is released after five years. You might expect the novel to focus on Roy's unjust imprisonment and his years in prison. It is true the context of racial injustice and the reality of being black in this country is key to the story, but the book throbs with two impulses: one towards loyalty and the other towards independence. 

Especially moving are the letters Roy and Celestial write to each other and the change in their relationship and expectations. I found myself understanding each person's perspective. However, I also squinted as I read, saying, "Yes, but...." In other words their relationship, their responses are complex and life is complicated. 

I think this would be an excellent choice for a book group discussion. Why did the author select this title, for example, but more than that, was the ending inevitable? 

Such a good book!

I also recommend a memoir from my projected summer reading list, The Bright Hour, A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs. You will cry, but you will also laugh, and you will be amazed by the wisdom and the clarity about what matters most. 
For my summer reading plans go here and here. For my Summer  Book Recommendation #1 go here.

An Invitation
Any summer surprises in your life---reading or otherwise? I would love to know.