Gods in Alabama [Mass Market Paperback]

Joshilyn Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2007

For 10 years Arlene has kept her promises, and God has kept His end of the bargain. Until now.
When an old schoolmate from Possett turns up at Arlene's door in Chicago asking questions about Jim Beverly, former quarterback and god of Possett High, Arlene's break with her former hometown is forced to an end. At the same time, Burr, her long-time boyfriend, has raised an ultimatum: introduce him to her family or consider him gone. Arlene loves him dearly but knows her lily white (not to mention deeply racist)Southern Baptist family will not understand her relationship with an African American boyfriend. Reluctantly, Arlene bows to the pressure, and she and Burr embark on the long-avoided road trip back home.
As Arlene digs through guilt and deception, her patched-together alibi begins to unravel, and she discovers how far she will go for love and a chance at redemption.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (December 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446178160
• ISBN-13: 978-0446178167
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arlene Fleet, the refreshingly imperfect heroine of Jackson's frank, appealing debut, launches her story with a list of the title's deities: "high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus." The first god, also a date rapist by the name of Jim Beverly, she left dead in her hometown of Possett, Ala., but the last she embraces wholeheartedly when high school graduation allows her to flee the South, the murder and her slutty reputation for a new life in Chicago. Upon leaving home, Arlene makes a bargain with God, promising to forgo sex, lies and a return home if he keeps Jim's body hidden. After nine years in Chicago as a truth-telling celibate, an unexpected visitor from home (in search of Jim Beverly) leads her to believe that God is slipping on his end of the deal. As Arlene heads for the Deep South with her African-American boyfriend, Burr, in tow, her secrets unfold in unsurprising but satisfying flashbacks. Jackson brings levity to familiar themes with a spirited take on the clichés of redneck Southern living: the Wal-Mart culture, the subtle and overt racism and the indignant religion. The novel concludes with a final, dramatic disclosure, though the payoff isn't the plot twist but rather Jackson's genuine affection for the people and places of Dixie.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Critics agree that Jackson has scored big in her first outing, a comic novel that combines salty blue-collar humor with an engaging first-person voice. Jackson navigates through what could have become clichés of Southern types and instead offers memorable, often humorous characters and situations that keep the story humming along. The author also has a few surprises up her sleeve when it comes to plot and character, including moral ambiguity. Don’t expect Jackson’s debut novel to end like the usual "coming home" story or mistake it for just another "chick-lit" offering.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (December 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446178160
• ISBN-13: 978-0446178167
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times Bestselling author of five novels,
most recently A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY

She lives in Decatur, Georgia with her husband and their two kids. She loves Bourbon and Hot Yoga (not together) and she has more dogs than you. Unless you have three.

Her sixth novel, SOMEONE ELSE'S LOVE STORY, is forthcoming in 2014 from Harper Morrow.

Backlist:
GODS IN ALABAMA
BETWEEN,GEORGIA,
THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING,
and BACKSEAT SAINTS

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick and Fun April 20, 2005

By sb-lynn TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Gods in Alabama starts off with a bang. For those of you in a reading slump, just pick up this book and read the first page and see if you aren't pulled into to this interesting story.

Summary, no spoilers:

This is the story about Arlene Fleet, who had fled her hometown of Possett Alabama and has lived in Chicago for the last 10 years.

Arlene has vowed never to return to Possett because of something that happened there, and she has made promises to God (i.e. she won't lie, she won't have sex, etc.,) if God enables her to keep her "crime" hidden.

To her great frustration, Arlene finds that she has to return to Posset both to face her past, and to introduce her boyfriend Burr to her her bigoted family (Burr is black and a northern Baptist, Arlene is white and southern Baptist.)

The book is well written, and a real page turner. There are many laugh out loud funny lines, and it's one of those books you can easily read from start to end in one sitting.

Saying all this, I was somewhat disappointed in this novel. Even though I really liked these characters, for some reason, they all just didn't ring true to me. Perhaps some of the characters seemed a little too stereotyped, or parts of the book were a bit rushed.

I would still recommend this book. It has a lot to say about memory, and the price we pay for keeping our silence. It is entertaining, and has a TERRIFIC finish, which is something pretty rare nowadays.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars ALABAMA IN HER REARVIEW MIRROR April 5, 2005

By Gail Cooke HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Fiction has had much to say about Southern women from Scarlet to the unbeatable Steel Magnolias. Authors still have much more to offer as we discover in this funny, touching debut novel by Joshilyn Jackson.

Georgia native Catherine Taber give an estimable voice performance as she narrates the story of Arlene Fleet, a gal who only wanted to see her hometown of Possett, Alabama, in her rearview mirror. On her way up North to college Arlene has a little chat with the Almighty in which she makes him three promises if He will only do one little thing for her - make sure the body of beefy high school footballer, Jim Beverly, is never found.

Arlene does a good job of forgetting Possett for ten years. She has become a teacher and a promising Ph.D. candidate with a steady black boyfriend, Burr. He's almost too good to be true, and Arlene never wants Burr to find himself at the mercy of her bigoted relatives.

But an unexpected and unwanted visitor throws a monkeywrench into her plans. Jim's former girlfriend shows up in Chicago after all these years, making it clear that Arlene must return to Alabama. With Burr at her side she heads South.

What she finds during her visit will surprise not only Arlene, but listeners, too.

- Gail Cooke

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This book provides Some southern comfort! March 13, 2007

By Jenny J.J.I. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I could smell the snuff juice. The scenery in this book is so real that I could see the grease spattering from the frying pan. I literally devoured it in one day. Joshilyn Jackson has an amazing ability to turn a phrase. I kept finding myself thinking, 'Oooh, good one!' as I read. This book has everything going for it: humor, mystery, great characters, and writing that just flows.

In this book we get know Arlene whom has left Alabama 9 years ago after promising to give up fornication (as she politely puts it during prayers), to never tell a lie, and to never go back to the town she grew up in as long as a certain body was allowed to remain hidden. When she becomes convinced that the deal is off, she breaks all three of her promises, returning home with her boyfriend, fornicating on the way, and lying to her family that they're already married. The longer Arlene is home, she slowly begins to find out the truth about what happened all those years ago that forced her to leave home in the first place.

"Gods In Alabama" is a great read. The plot and its characters are involved on enough levels to keep one guessing and involved. Arlene/Lena is a puzzled character and Ms. Jackson keeps giving the reader various glimpses into her mind, memory and spirit to help us figure out the puzzle. Although the story went back and forth in time it was very easy to follow and understand. My one complaint would be that the last chapter tied the whole story up too fast. Other than that, it's a promising debut, and Jackson has the potential to become an significant southern author.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid February 27, 2006

By Erin Brooks

Format:Hardcover

I didn't quite know what to expect from this book, I read the backcover quickly and thought I was in for a stereotyped relationship between Southern girl and black guy, and a difficult family. This book is so much more than that. Lena is a great heroine, and we embark with her on a story where she revisits and tries to make sense of her past and how she came to make some difficult decisions. We peel back the layers to understand the role of family, redemption, forgiveness, and how a set of circumstances can influence and impact Lena's and her family's life to such an extent.

This is a splendid story. Joshilyn Jackson is one very talented writer and I definitely look forward to reading more from her soon. Very very highly recommended.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cads in Alabama May 9, 2006

By Pseudonymous the Younger

Format:Hardcover

If I'd had known what this book was about, I wouldn't have read it. I would have figured it was way too girly for a manly man such as myself. I mean, it's a book about Arlene Fleet, a female grad student in Chicago who never tells lies, doesn't have sex with her long-time boyfriend, and calls her family back home in Alabama every week but hasn't been back to visit them for ten years because of some incident in high school. OK, See? Half of the males who were reading this review have already nodded off or are desperately searching Amazon for books that involve spitting and/or explosions. I don't blame them. This stuff is fine for the ladies but . . . OK . . . I actually enjoyed it. I admit it. This is one of the best books I've read all year. It is often funny, in a Reese Witherspoon way, and there's a mystery. It's not a mystery that Crais or Coben would have written; there's no tough-guy, wisecracking detective; there's no sleuths at all, either amateur or professional; Jackson simply provides clues that allows the reader to try to deduce whether Arlene is a victim, a murderer, or something else entirely. And while Gods in Alabama is billed as a comic novel, there are portions that will bring tears to your eyes...OK, big mistake. I shouldn't have mentioned tears. There go most of the rest of the guys. If there are any real men left out there, it's a good book, see. Really. And I'm not a wuss. I'm not. I don't care what my wife says.