Product Description

When Lena Fleet goes to college, she makes three promises to God: she will stop fornicating with every boy she meets; never tell another lie and never, ever go back to her hometown of Possett, Alabama. All she wants from God in return is that He makes sure the body is never found…

But ten years later, it looks like God's going back on His deal. Lena's high school archenemy appears on her doorstep, looking for the golden haired football god who disappeared during their senior year. To make matters worse, her African American boyfriend has issued her with an ultimatum – introduce him to her lily-white family or he’s gone…

While she would rather burn in a fire than let him meet her steel magnolia Aunt Florence, her half-mad Mama, her sweet-as-pecan-pie cousin Clarice and the rest of her eccentric and racist family, Lena realises it is time to go home to Alabama and confront the past once and for all…

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #273901 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

ADRIANA TRIGIANI, 2005
'What a storyteller! What a new, original voice!'

Review
‘Joshilyn Jackson’s stellar debut has all the elements of great southern fiction, a plucky heroine with a sense of humour, a gripping tale and a mysterious dead body that needs explanation. Arlene Fleet, with a crystal clear voice and purpose takes the reader on a wild ride of despair, hope and redemption that no reader is likely to ever forget. What a storyteller! What a new, original voice!’ Adriana Trigiani, author of Lucia, Lucia

'Now there's a new Southern talent and Jackson's debut is a startling page turner... This is a beautifully crafted, sassy novel, where nothing is quite as it seems, and the way the final pieces of the jigsaw slot together... should surprise even the most jaded of readers.' (Glamour )

‘This winning novel is the kind that readers crave: you can’t stop turning the pages, but you wish it would never end. If Gods in Alabama becomes a best-seller, I won’t be a bit surprised’ Christina Schwarz, author of Drowning Ruth

‘If you’re looking for a lively, fun, yet compelling read, you’ve come to the right place!’ (Cassandra King, author of The Sunday Wife )

‘I couldn’t put this book down. From the first chapter, the plot leaps forward, and it doesn’t stop twisting and turning until the last page . . . Funky and cool’ (Melanie Sumner, author of The School of Beauty )

'GODS IN ALABAMA is a compelling, darkly humorous read that kept me turning the pages’ (Haywood Smith, author of The Red Hats Ride Agai )

Glamour Magazine, August 2005
'Jackson's debut is a startling page turner... This is a beautifully crafted, sassy novel, where nothing's quite as it seems...'

Customer Reviews

WOW - brilliantly different!
Bit of a cliche but I just couldn't put this down. There are so many books out there that you feel you've read before, but this is just so different. Right at the start you're intrigued to learn that the heroine Arlene promised God that she'd never go back to her family in Alabama as long as he made sure that the body of the 'god' that she killed in high school was never found. Then you start to uncover what led up to the murder and there are loads of twists along the way. It wasn't just the mystery that had me hooked though - the Deep South setting and the eccentric characters are brilliant, especially Arlene who is fiery, funny and sad and had me cheering her on to the end. A refreshingly good book from a writer who I'm definitely going to look out for in the future.

Excellent, mystery thrilling book!
This is an absolutley fantastic book! Its a great mystery/romance . I read it in two days, couldn't put it down. The story follows Lena and her boyfriend. Along the way you get to find out why she won't go home to Alabama, the story of her life so far catches up for her and new twists develop throughout. The story keeps you guessing at the truth and while some people may be able to guess the ending, there are so many little twists you couldn't guess the whole thing. I loved this book and thoroughly recommend it. A light read but also fun and mysterious!

Excellent
Having spent the last few months struggling through several dispointing novels, this book was such a welcome relief.

Really easy to read, it grips you from the start and had me up til 4am as I couldn't bring myself to put it down.

A promising new author, looking foward to more of her stuff