Review: gods In Alabama
July 16th, 2007 -- Posted in Southern Reading Challenge | 3 Comments »
I really think I bit off more than I could chew with the Southern Reading Challenge. There’s no problem with reading the books, but taking time to properly review them is another story. Our state to state move has consumed our summer. I’m also having to redesign my school websites and prepare to teach a World Civ night class this fall. I finished gods in Alabama last week and then read Nicholas Spark’s A Bend in the Road. Both are wonderful. In lieu of writing a review I will paste a great synopsis of the book which I found at ReadingGroupGuides.com and then answer several of the questions that were there as well. Not exactly the same as writing a review, but it will have to do…
From ReadingGroupGuides.com:
When Arlene Fleet heads up north for college, she makes three promises to God: She will stop fornicating with every boy who crosses her path; never tell another lie; and never, ever go back to the “fourth rack of hell,” her hometown of Possett, Alabama. All she wants from Him is one little miracle: make sure the body is never found.
Ten years later, God has broken His end of the deal. Alabama has landed on Arlene’s Chicago doorstep in the form of her high school archenemy, a young woman who wants to find the golden-haired football hero who disappeared during their senior year.
To make matters worse, Arlene’s African American boyfriend, Burr, has given her an ultimatum-introduce him to her lily-white family or he’s gone. Arlene would rather burn up in a fire than let him meet her steel magnolia Aunt Florence; her eccentric, half-mad Mama; her sweet-as-pecan-pie Cousin Clarice; and all the rest of her deeply racist kith and kin.
But the fickle finger of fate is pointing her south. All too soon she and Burr are on their way to confront Arlene’s redneck roots, the secret she ran from, and the crime that stole her peace of mind. Back in the small town of her girlhood, Arlene’s demons are closing in-and after a decade of running away, Arlene must face them all. Yet while the truth threatens to destroy the life she has built for herself, it just may open her eyes to a love powerful enough to revise her past and alter her future.
Crackling with humor, defiantly endearing characters, and plot twists that will astonish even the most jaded reader, Gods in Alabama will send you careening from tears to laughter and back. Most of all, it brings a unique, rough-around-the-edges heroine to life and makes her a permanent part of your own.
It really was a great book with so many ‘Bama truths.
Who or what are the gods that the title refers to? Who are the gods in your hometown, workplace, or culture?
It is refering to booze, football, and its players. If you are not familiar with the culture of southern football then you need to be aware of how massive it is. Now us Alabamians take it to a whole new level. People here are insane about their football, and not just national and SEC games. Friday nights you will find scores of people packing the local high school stadium. The players are idolized by young and old.
I think there are gods in every town. There are ‘bosses’ that control politics and business. Our work can even be considered a god and within culture there are so many things that can consume our interests.
In what ways does Arlene’s “deal with God” allow her to protect herself? How much of it is true penance and how much is a defense mechanism?
The things of home were unpleasant for Lena. I can totally understand the mentality of leave and never return. Returning meant facing her past and it was much easier not to do that. IMO it was more of a defense mechanism than a true penance.
Arlene has painted a picture of Clarice as beautiful, pure, passive, and wholesome. How does idealizing Clarice influence Arlene’s own behavior and sexuality?
Something terrible happened to Clarice and in Lena’s mind if anyone knew then it would impact how they viewed Clarice. So Lena acted out, receiving the negative attention. Lena was promiscuous and out of control because in her mind she was protecting Clarice and keeping her on the pedestal that had been kicked out from under her.
Arlene’s biological mother is almost a non-person in the book, and Arlene has surrounded herself with replacement mothers. Who are these replacements, and what aspects of mothering does she get from each of them?
When something is missing in your life you find a way to replace it. Lena’s aunt is a replacement, her boyfriend’s mother is a replacement, even Clarice is a replacement. The true mother figure for Lena is her aunt, but Lena feels like an intruder in the household. From her aunt Lena received discipline. As for Burr’s mother, Lena embraces her compassion and guidance on how to handle Burr. All in all, I think Clarice is the greatest mother figure, or influence, on Lena. They were as close as sisters, and maybe that is the true relationship parallel. However, Clarice takes Arlene under her wing and teaches her the girl things in life, and looks out for her emotionally. Yes, it is more of a sister relationship, but as with siblings Clarice seemed to mother Lena too.
The women in this novel generally tend to overpower the men, whether in conversation, romance, or physical altercations. Is this indicative of Southern society in general? What point might the author be making about gender relations in an outwardly traditional society?
Yes! I really think it is indicative of Southern society. You know the phrase…”If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” For generations Southern women had to be strong women. Think about it…who had to run the household while the farming was taking place? Who had to run the household and do the farming during times of war? The women! The idea is that men dominate and are the decision makers. To a degree, yes. However, I believe Southern society is strongly matriarchal. In the South I think there is a higher rate of single parent households, for whatever reason, and as such women have to be the heads of household.
The main character in this book is alternately known as Arlene and Lena. What are the distinguishing characteristics of Arlene? Of Lena? How do you think she would identify herself? By the end of the book, had she changed in your mind from one to the other, or had the two been integrated?
LOL, I love this question. Arlene is a very southern name. When Arlene fled the South and promised to change herself, she changed her name as part of it. She became Lena and it was a way for her to put her past behind her, leaving the “gods’ of Alabama behind as well. She identified as Lena, up until her past reared its head. In my mind the two were integrated. Our life experiences shape our person. She grew into an adult as Arlene, and dealt with her past as Lena, then merging the two characters into the person she became at the end of the novel.
Think of it this way…many people will shed their southern sound, but get them speaking with other southerners and they can’t hide it. The drawl comes out.
What role does the Southern locale play in the novel? Could such a story take place in another region? Why or why not?
Southern folkways were paramount in this novel, and the southern gal in me wants to say no way, it is strictly for the South. Honestly, I have to say it could take place anywhere. Every locale has its quirks. With a few tweaks this book could take place anywhere.
Another Chic-lit, but a great summer read.
