Gathering Home

Deep South Books

by Vicki Covington

Covington's first novel is a quietly compelling coming-of-age story that takes on politics and religion, the Old South and the New South, families, love, and being able to come home again.
Whitney Gaines has always known she was adopted. It's never been a problem--she loves her parents, Mary Ellen and Cal, a liberal minister, and enjoys her life in Birmingham, Alabama. But the year Whitney turns eighteen, Cal decides to run for Congress and the entire Gaines family is thrust into the spotlight. Whitney resolves to look for her birth parents, a decision her liberal-minded adoptive parents support. Although her birth mother doesn't answer her letters, Whitney finds her father, Sam Kirby, a gay cartoonist living in New York, wondering about the child he knows is out there, somewhere. Whitney's letters reawaken Sam's ambivalence about his southern roots.
At the same time, a romance blossoms between Whitney and her father's campaign manager, and Whitney begins writing to Sam's mother, who rejoices in the news that she is, against all odds, a grandmother. The relationships Whitney develops with her newfound natural relatives, particularly with her grandmother, are the centerpiece of this critically acclaimed novel.

Genres: Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

Vicki Covington lives in Homewood, Alabama with her husband, the author Dennis Covington. She has taught creative writing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Vicki's novel, The Last Hotel for Women, was converted for the stage by her brother, playwright Randy Marsh, and was performed before sell-out crowds. It was also chosen by the University of Alabama Press for their Deep South series.

Reviews

[Sevde Calis · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is no engaging plot. I read it for the sake of finishing the book and it was difficult. There are wholesome parts, but I don't think they lead to anything major. The ending seemed unfinished, which was disappointing.

[Ali · Rating 1 out of 5]

Giving this novel even one star is generous. Truly one of the worst novels I have ever read. It is filled with offensive generalizations and stereotypes. The characters are completely flat and the plot is lacking.I was forced to read this horrendous attempt at characterizing the Southern Baptist Convention by a professor. The only thing more painful than actually reading this novel was attempting to write a research paper on it.

[Sue Tincher · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, I liked the slow, simple style. But a style like that needs to be accompanied by some profound happening that breaks through the simplicity. When absolutely nothing at all happens by the end of the book, it was a disappointment.

[Martine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sticky sweet unrealistic portrayal of the city I grew up in. Ms Covington is one of he southern writers that attempts to repaint history.