Gods in Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson

This was a pretty good book, but definitely chick lit, which I tend to shy away from. The plot and characters are interesting and the dialogue well-written; it was easy to read very quickly. The chapters alternate back and forth between present-day Arlene, who lives in Chicago and is resisting returning to her home in Alabama with black boyfriend in tow, and high school Arlene, whose story explains present-day Arlene's resistence. I'm pretty upset with myself for not predicting the plot twist, because, in retrospect, it was very predictable. I think I just was not reading that deeply. This is another good one to read in a day by the pool, but it's not memorable.