GODS IN ALABAMA

When Arlene Fleet fled Possett, Alabama, she made a deal with God that she would cease fornicating and lying and would never return home if He would make sure that high school hero Jim Beverly’s body was never found. Ten years later, feeling that God has not upheld His end of the bargain, she heads home to introduce her boyfriend, an African-American lawyer, to her redneck family. Jackson’s debut novel is beautifully narrated by Catherine Taber, a newcomer to audiobooks who delivers a strong performance that draws the listener deeply into the story. Her unobtrusive reading indicates present or past by expressing youth or maturity with the timbre of her voice. D.T.H. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]