Arlene Fleet has been keeping her promises to God for twelve years
and avoiding a visit home to Alabama for ten when a familiar face
forces her to begin breaking those promises. And thus begins
Joshilyn Jackson's debut novel, GODS IN ALABAMA. Those gods are the
things that loom large in the southern imagination, like football
and Jesus, and Jackson brings the new South to life with authentic
dialogue, Arlene's perfect descriptions of her Aunt Florence, life
in a small Alabama town, and the expectations of southern girls and
women. The women in Arlene's life include her aunt, a mentally ill
mother, and her beautiful cousin Clarice. All three still live in
Alabama and eagerly await Arlene's arrival.

Arlene (Lena in her adopted town of Chicago) may have held to her
dubious covenant with God, but she has spent the last ten years
breaking some other rules that mystify and anger her family.
Namely, not setting foot in her hometown and having the audacity to
date a black man. Jackson handles the race and culture issues well
and shows how much of the old South still lives in contemporary
America, no matter how ordinary such relationships seem in the
larger culture.

The wonderful thing about this southern story is that while Jackson
shows the smallness of some of Arlene's family and neighbors, she
doesn't demonize them or excuse their views. Through Arlene she
takes them to task without giving the novel a preachy feel or
overwhelming the theme of secrets and justice at the story's core.
The secrets Arlene has kept all began in high school when she took
action against a bully. She prays fervently that God keep the body
hidden so she can go on with her life. Ten years after leaving
Alabama, it seems God has let her down and she must decide who can
handle her secret and how to keep herself from being convicted of
murder.

Among Jackson's shining accomplishments is the strength of her
characters' voices. Arlene and her boyfriend, Burr, are well
developed without the reader spending very much time in their
presence. And Jackson is adept at fleshing out characters with
little time in the book, like Burr's mother, and making them
unforgettable.

Arlene's troubles seem to deepen as she travels South and reveals
to the reader and select members of her family why she has behaved
so oddly and what secrets she holds. But Jackson allows the story
to unfold slowly as Arlene unravels on her desperate trip
home.

Even though Arlene gives up her secret --- to the reader at least
--- early in the novel, Jackson's southern tale reveals more twists
right until the ending. This is a promising debut, and Jackson has
the potential to become an important southern author.