Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn't commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy's time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy's conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
This is an extremely thoughtful, compassionate portrayal of the racialized inequity of the American criminal justice system and the ripple effect it has on the personal lives of so many. At some points I almost wished there had been more insight into the court and prison system, but ultimately this book is about the personal cost of this type of injustice. All of the characters well so well-drawn, and I could sympathize with everybody despite also being frustrated by them. In the section of letters between Roy and Celestial, it was so easy to see how they were being drawn apart, as Celestial's world of intellectual art became further removed from Roy's reality. I found myself feeling like nobody was in the wrong here, despite it being a painful, difficult situation for everybody. The ending is satisfying and realistic. I do sort of feel like the epistolary section was slightly rushed (though very well-written). Again, I get that the novel is above all about relationships, but the trial and prison sections just felt slightly abridged. Still, though, this is an impactful, complex novel with incredibly compelling characters.
