Gods in Alabama [Kindle Edition]

Joshilyn Jackson (Author)

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.
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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.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 395 KB
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 1, 2005)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FCK3BO
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (158 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,325 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times Bestselling author of three novels:
GODS IN ALABAMA
BETWEEN,GEORGIA, and
THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING.

She lives in a small town west of Atlanta with her husband, their two kids, a hound dog, 2 legally separated beta fish, a scurrilous kitten and a morbidly obese Main Coone cat named Franz Schubert.

Her fourth novel, BACKSEAT SAINTS, is forthcoming from Grand Central in spring of 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

sb-lynn (Santa Barbara, California United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Gods in Alabama

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.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gods in Alabama (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

14 of 14 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. "A New Yorker" (That Lives in Carolinas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gods in Alabama (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.