GODS IN ALABAMA by Joshilyn Jackson
There is nothing predictable about Joshilyn Jackson's debut novel GODS IN ALABAMA. It is quirky, offbeat, romantic, comedic, sincere and irreverent. In a single word - it is unique. Jackson hits the literary stage with a bang and makes her presence known. A writer with this much talent is bound to produce many more exceptional books.
Having stated all that, it is still difficult to get into the flow of this book. The main character, Arlene Fleet, confesses murder to the reader at the start of the story and that little revelation is off-putting to the average person. That is the reason she has left Alabama and won't go back. She is firmly planted in Chicago and has no intention of breaking her vow to God to stay away from the southern state.
But then her plans begin to unravel and soon Arlene is headed home with her wonderful black lawyer boyfriend in tow. By the time they hit the road and head south you are willing to stay with this story even though Arlene is a murderess. And by the time the story ends you are supremely happy you stayed with it and wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
Since Jackson is a native southerner she knows how to write about the South without being condescending or annoying. Arlene's Aunt Florence is a hoot and a holler but underneath has a truly loving heart. She drives Arlene crazy but she is family, and family stands supreme in the South.
There are pages of southern descriptions that make the reader nostalgic for the days when relatives were so close you couldn't sneeze without a bless you sounding from one of them. It was an annoying way to live but also a comfortable one, and that is what Jackson captures perfectly in her novel.
Will anyone outside the South enjoy this book? I think so. The love that Jackson portrays is the universal kind. It just gets a little hinkier in the southern states.
GODS IN ALABAMA is a truly impressive first novel. Jackson has found her voice on the first try and makes a debut and a half. There are gods in Alabama and people do worship at the altar of true talent. This makes Jackson a deity on the rise.
GODS IN ALABAMA is published by Warner Books. It contains 275 pages and sells for $19.95.