Between, Georgia

Between, Georgia, Joshilyn Jackson's second novel is as delightful as her first, gods in Alabama. It has the same combination of mystery, romance, family love, and Southern flavor. In fact, I devoured it as quickly as I had the first one because the story was so darned good--and then, as I had with the first, I had to go back and reread parts because the writing itself is so good. And I know that I'll reread it in its entirety later, after I've loaned it out to my sister and friends.

When I'm reading a novel, there are a few outward signs that it's great. First, I'll end up carrying it around and reading it in fits and spurts, while I cook dinner for example. Second, I'll stay up way past my normal bedtime reading. Third, as I get near the end, usually while I'm up way late past my bedtime, I'll either start ready super slowly, to savor every word, or gorge on it so I can finish it and learn the final outcome. When I can't decide whether to slow down or speed up, it's a darn good story with darn good writing and I can't decide which I want to enjoy most: the plot or the writing!

Between, Georgia is the story of Nonny Frett and when she stopped "working on things" and did them, although that's not obvious until the end. Born into one family and raised in another by a woman going deaf, then blind, Nonny is trying to get divorced, but she keeps falling back into bed with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, a situation made even more complicated when her best friend confesses his long-standing love for her. Her two families have feuded for years before she was even born, but her birth and subsequent "theft" escalate things. But things really escalate when her birth family's dogs attack and injure her mother and her aunt as they walk home. Things escalate from there. You know as a reader that somehow things will fall into place but you can't quite see how so you keep reading... And that's why I stayed up way too late to finish the book and then had to go back and reread sections to get the details. I rushed through the end the first time and regretted it later, because it mean that Jackson's lovely writing wasn't savored as it should be.

My inner conflict about enjoying the story versus enjoying the writing reminded me of my sister's story about her youngest. He would carefully eat just enough dinner to get dessert, then after dessert he would go back and want more dinner so he was full. I savored the writing but the plot kept me guessing and I had to find out what happened next, so then I rushed through to the end--only to go back and satisfy a different appetite with the lovely writing.