gods in Alabama

For every doom and gloom story about publishing, there's another to put a smile on your face. Writing a novel is about dreams aspired and sometimes, it's about dreams obtained. Joshilyn Jackson's first novel, gods in Alabama, is a triumph, both commercially and literarily (did you know that was a word? I thought I made it up).

From Booklist: "Arlene Fleet likes to make deals with God and play road-trip games. In this absorbing first novel, deals and games guide all the characters' actions, but the reader won't know the real deal or the name of the game until the last page. Upon leaving her podunk hometown in Alabama, Arlene makes a deal with the Lord involving no lying, no fornicating, and no return trip as long as he keeps the body of high-school quarterback Jim Beverly hidden. When the Almighty drops his end of the bargain, Arlene heads back to Possett, determined to lie about her sexual relationship with her African American fiance, Burr, to her steel-magnolia aunt, Florence. With the threat of her past crime coming to light, Arlene understands she must now protect the family that years ago took in Arlene and her recently widowed, mentally disturbed mother. Cleverly disguised as a leisurely paced southern novel, this debut rockets to the end, even as the plot turns back on itself, surprising characters and readers alike. Book clubs will enjoy this saucy tale, as will fans of southern fiction with a twist."

I read the excerpt from the book and was immediately captivated. There's a lure to Southern fiction, I don't know if it's my Texas roots, or if it's the slow warmth in the Southern culture, but I don't care. An author who can capture the flavor of the South is a treat to be enjoyed on a Saturday afternoon, sitting on the porch reading while the hawks circle overhead.

I've got this one on my nightstand (right beneath the other two), but I hope everyone gets a chance to check it out.