Cover of MY SUMMER OF SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT
courtesy of HarperCollins
MY SUMMER OF SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT by Stephanie Gayle

Stephanie Gayle is an author living in Massachusetts. Because she wanted to write a story about a legal case involving capitol punishment she located her new novel MY SUMMER OF SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT in Macon, Georgia. The good news is she got the feel and flavor of the city and the South. The bad news is there are going to be even more "Yankees" headed our way.

In the book attorney Natalie Goldberg comes to Macon as a result of a love affair gone wrong. She has to get out of New York in a hurry when her married lover put her legal qualifications in jeopardy. A position in the District Attorney's office in Macon, Georgia was available so Natalie used some family connections to get the job in a hurry.

Now she is in Macon, sweltering in the heat and wondering what she was thinking. But things get better when she is assigned as co-counsel on a murder case. This is a big case for Natalie but also one she is dubious of taking. Natalie is against the death penalty and if convicted the man charged in this case could get the chair.

As Natalie struggles with her conscience and her southern situation, she begins to learn more about herself. She grows as an attorney and also as a person. And while around her everything is in full blossom she begins the road to full bloom herself.

Gayle paints a picture of Macon, Georgia that is hard to resist. She focuses on the friendliness of its citizenry and magnifies the beauty that is abloom in the city. Natalie makes friends from the office, friends from the neighborhood, and finally a friend of the city itself. The reader warms up to Natalie as the temperature in Macon soars.

The title may indicate this is a frivolous book. It isn't. The scenes of the trial are deadly serious and Natalie's push to have her credentials and expertise validated make for engrossing reading. Still the novel is warm and humorous in certain areas. Natalie has to adjust to the southern style of life, and she has to learn to accept some traits of "good ole boys." When the summer of her southern discomfort is over she still has a way to go to being totally at home in her office and the South.

Stephanie Gayle has a readable style of writing. You get to know her characters fully and you get to like them totally. They may have some flaws but overall they are good at heart. This ability to make the reader enjoy the people on the pages will stand Gayle in good stead as she continues her writing career.

Stephanie Gayle has written a story about a transplanted northerner stuck in the heart of the South. She makes this "duck out of water" adventure compelling and delicious. The Macon Chamber of Commerce should make her an honorary citizen.

MY SUMMER OF SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT is published by HarperCollins. It contains 244 pages and sells for $23.95.
 

 

 

 

 

©2007 Jackie K. Cooper

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