Author: Joshilyn Jackson
ISBN-13: 9780446524193
Paperback: 275 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2005
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon
FTC Disclosure: My copy of Gods in Alabama was provided by Hachette Book Group for this review. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.
drey's thoughts:
Well. I just finished reading Gods in Alabama. And. Well. The ending sure sucker-punched my assumptions. Joshilyn Jackson has crafted a story that lassos you in and hog-ties you until you are done reading.
Arlene Fleet makes a deal with God. He won't tell on her, and she will be a good Southern Baptist. And she keeps to her side of the bargain, pushing off her family for a decade. Well, ok, that's probably not a good Southern Baptist. But she did promise to never return to Alabama. Then someone from her past shows up, dredging up old nightmares, and Arlene doesn't know what to do. What do you do when God doesn't hold up his end? It's not like she wants to revert ot the teenager she was, after all... She worked hard enough to bury that Arlene, as deeply as she can.
So. Since God broke the bargain first, she ends up making the trek back to Alabama, and she brings her boyfriend with her. Her African-American boyfriend. Because he insists on meeting her family, even when she tries to convince him that they're probably going to be the craziest people he's ever met in his life.
The cast of characters in Gods in Alabama make you laugh out loud, shake your head, and want to do a lil' straightening-them-up. But you want them to come out A-OK in the end, so you end up cheering the good decisions, too. Put aside some time for this one--you won't want to put it down once you've started reading.
drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent
Challenges: 100+
2 comments:
I lived in Alabama when I read this book and I absolutely loved it. I think it has the best opening line ever!
This was the first book by Jackson that I read and she hooked me :)
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