Steph'sBookRamblings: Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson

Summary:

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.

My Thoughts:

Gods in Alabama was the book I picked for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge for this month. The challenge was to read a book from the backlist of new favorite author and having recently discovered Joshilyn Jackson I decided to go with another one of her books. I read The Almost Sisters in August and loved it so I felt in the mood for more southern fiction.

GIA gave me feels that were very Fried Green Tomatoes. Very Southern, at times relatable and definitely quirky-funny, but it is also dark and full of sinister secrets. I liked Arlene and most of the characters for that matter, but everyone is messed up. I don’t just mean your everyday messed up but semi-normal, I mean girl has got some issues! You know she’s hiding a secret from everyone and you will take guesses throughout most of the book but you will more than likely be wrong.

This book is full of twists, which I don’t mind, but I was occasionally confused and had to re-read a paragraph or two just to resituate myself. There were times I felt like there were too many issues being bandied about to deal with all at once but overall this was still a really good fictional novel. If you enjoy a bit of southern quirkiness with a side of dark secrets, Gods in Alabama is for you. 4/5 stars