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Boys of Alabama
In this bewitching debut novel, a sensitive teen, newly arrived in Alabama, falls in love, questions his faith, and navigates a strange power. While his German parents don’t know what to make of a South pining for the past, shy Max thrives in the thick heat. Taken in by the football team, he learns how to catch a spiraling ball, how to point a gun, and how to hide his innermost secrets.
Max already expects some of the raucous behavior of his new, American friends—like their insatiable hunger for the fried and cheesy, and their locker room talk about girls. But he doesn’t expect the comradery—or how quickly he would be welcomed into their world of basement beer drinking. In his new canvas pants and thickening muscles, Max feels like he’s “playing dress-up.” That is until he meets Pan, the school “witch,” in Physics class: “Pan in his all black. Pan with his goth choker and the gel that made his hair go straight up.” Suddenly, Max feels seen, and the pair embarks on a consuming relationship: Max tells Pan about his supernatural powers, and Pan tells Max about the snake poison initiations of the local church. The boys, however, aren’t sure whose past is darker, and what is more frightening—their true selves, or staying true in Alabama.
Writing in verdant and visceral prose that builds to a shocking conclusion, Genevieve Hudson “brilliantly reinvents the Southern Gothic, mapping queer love in a land where God, guns, and football are king” (Leni Zumas, author of Red Clocks). Boys of Alabama becomes a nuanced portrait of masculinity, religion, immigration, and the adolescent pressures that require total conformity.
Max already expects some of the raucous behavior of his new, American friends—like their insatiable hunger for the fried and cheesy, and their locker room talk about girls. But he doesn’t expect the comradery—or how quickly he would be welcomed into their world of basement beer drinking. In his new canvas pants and thickening muscles, Max feels like he’s “playing dress-up.” That is until he meets Pan, the school “witch,” in Physics class: “Pan in his all black. Pan with his goth choker and the gel that made his hair go straight up.” Suddenly, Max feels seen, and the pair embarks on a consuming relationship: Max tells Pan about his supernatural powers, and Pan tells Max about the snake poison initiations of the local church. The boys, however, aren’t sure whose past is darker, and what is more frightening—their true selves, or staying true in Alabama.
Writing in verdant and visceral prose that builds to a shocking conclusion, Genevieve Hudson “brilliantly reinvents the Southern Gothic, mapping queer love in a land where God, guns, and football are king” (Leni Zumas, author of Red Clocks). Boys of Alabama becomes a nuanced portrait of masculinity, religion, immigration, and the adolescent pressures that require total conformity.
285 pages, Hardcover
First published May 19, 2020
244 people are currently reading
8024 people want to read
About the author
Genevieve Hudson
6 books133 followersGenevieve Hudson is the author of the novel Boys of Alabama, which was a finalist for the 2021 Oregon Book Award. Their other books include the memoir-hybrid A Little in Love with Everyone, and Pretend We Live Here: Stories, which was a Lambda Literary Award finalist.
Their work has appeared in Elle, Oprah Magazine, LA Review of Books, McSweeney’s, Bookforum, Bomb Magazine, No Tokens, Electric Literature, and other places. They've received fellowships from the Fulbright Program, MacDowell, Caldera Arts, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, and the Vermont Studio Center.
Their work has appeared in Elle, Oprah Magazine, LA Review of Books, McSweeney’s, Bookforum, Bomb Magazine, No Tokens, Electric Literature, and other places. They've received fellowships from the Fulbright Program, MacDowell, Caldera Arts, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, and the Vermont Studio Center.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 439 reviews
June 3, 2020
I loved this book! But......this is a tough book to review. Why?
First, it's a unique blend of a paranormal, a coming of age, and a cultural exchange book.
It sets our protagonist from Germany in a small town in Alabama. Back in Germany, he was nothing special, but here as a student in an Evangelical Christian school, he is very popular. Taken in by the football boys, he begins a stereotypical American teen high school indoctrination: parties. Different from other typical tales is the strong evangelical wave moving this story along. I'm not sure what to make of it. How much is playing off of stereotypes? I mean, we hear tongues. We see snakes. We see boys talking about being saved while they drink by a bonfire.
Along with this odd clash of German and Southern evangelical cultures, the author brings in a touch of the paranormal. I would not call it magical realism as the blurb decries. This is straight up magic and there is nothing realistic about it. Our protagonist can bring things--dead things--back to life.
What this talent had to do with this tale is something that I'm still pondering. Was is there only for the final scene? Was it there as another source of "otherness" in this tale? Was it there to woo his love interest? Something to confide with someone? I'm not sure, and it's for this reason that I don't know how to review the book.
It felt as if two tales were presented and they never really came together. Both storylines simply came to an abrupt end after much buildup. An end that, perhaps was inevitable, but as to what purpose I'm not sure. But maybe that's the point.
That being said, I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It felt fresh. We saw no quotations for dialogue and after a bit of adjustment, I didn't notice their absence. The style also reflected some of the cultural clash between Germany, Alabama, and the paranormal. How, I can't really explain except to say that it felt as different as bringing these three things together could be.
My rec? If you love coming of age books, I say go for it!!
**This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the purposes of an unbiased review.**
First, it's a unique blend of a paranormal, a coming of age, and a cultural exchange book.
It sets our protagonist from Germany in a small town in Alabama. Back in Germany, he was nothing special, but here as a student in an Evangelical Christian school, he is very popular. Taken in by the football boys, he begins a stereotypical American teen high school indoctrination: parties. Different from other typical tales is the strong evangelical wave moving this story along. I'm not sure what to make of it. How much is playing off of stereotypes? I mean, we hear tongues. We see snakes. We see boys talking about being saved while they drink by a bonfire.
Along with this odd clash of German and Southern evangelical cultures, the author brings in a touch of the paranormal. I would not call it magical realism as the blurb decries. This is straight up magic and there is nothing realistic about it. Our protagonist can bring things--dead things--back to life.
What this talent had to do with this tale is something that I'm still pondering. Was is there only for the final scene? Was it there as another source of "otherness" in this tale? Was it there to woo his love interest? Something to confide with someone? I'm not sure, and it's for this reason that I don't know how to review the book.
It felt as if two tales were presented and they never really came together. Both storylines simply came to an abrupt end after much buildup. An end that, perhaps was inevitable, but as to what purpose I'm not sure. But maybe that's the point.
That being said, I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It felt fresh. We saw no quotations for dialogue and after a bit of adjustment, I didn't notice their absence. The style also reflected some of the cultural clash between Germany, Alabama, and the paranormal. How, I can't really explain except to say that it felt as different as bringing these three things together could be.
My rec? If you love coming of age books, I say go for it!!
**This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the purposes of an unbiased review.**
June 26, 2020
Well, Genevieve Hudson's
Boys of Alabama
definitely made me think!
Max and his family move from Germany to small-town Delilah, Alabama. It’s a far cry from what they’re used to, but Max is quickly enamored by the oppressive heat and humidity, the easy camaraderie he finds with his football teammates, and the area’s obsession with God and religion.
But Max has secrets, too. He had a relationship in Germany that scarred him, and he has a strange ability that both obsesses and frightens him. When he meets Pan, a fellow student who believes he is a witch, and Pan discovers his ability, Max feels both unburdened and more frightened of discovery. But the two embark on a relationship of sorts, which fulfills the both of them, even if it makes them vulnerable at the same time.
Boys of Alabama is a beautifully written, thought-provoking book that raises questions about religion, sexuality, paranormal abilities, racism, and prejudice, but it also is a coming-of-age story at its heart. I’ll admit I read this book almost with one hand over my eyes, as I was worried something bad would happen to one of the characters. (Plus the references to animal cruelty and the depictions of dead animals were a little much for me.)
I struggled, though, with what this book meant, and as much as I enjoyed the characters I didn’t feel connected. I also found the lack of quotation marks off-putting because if a sentence didn’t say, “she said,” I couldn’t always tell it was dialogue.
This debut novel definitely shows Hudson has a true storytelling talent. It was an interesting addition to my stack of Pride Reads this month!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Max and his family move from Germany to small-town Delilah, Alabama. It’s a far cry from what they’re used to, but Max is quickly enamored by the oppressive heat and humidity, the easy camaraderie he finds with his football teammates, and the area’s obsession with God and religion.
But Max has secrets, too. He had a relationship in Germany that scarred him, and he has a strange ability that both obsesses and frightens him. When he meets Pan, a fellow student who believes he is a witch, and Pan discovers his ability, Max feels both unburdened and more frightened of discovery. But the two embark on a relationship of sorts, which fulfills the both of them, even if it makes them vulnerable at the same time.
Boys of Alabama is a beautifully written, thought-provoking book that raises questions about religion, sexuality, paranormal abilities, racism, and prejudice, but it also is a coming-of-age story at its heart. I’ll admit I read this book almost with one hand over my eyes, as I was worried something bad would happen to one of the characters. (Plus the references to animal cruelty and the depictions of dead animals were a little much for me.)
I struggled, though, with what this book meant, and as much as I enjoyed the characters I didn’t feel connected. I also found the lack of quotation marks off-putting because if a sentence didn’t say, “she said,” I couldn’t always tell it was dialogue.
This debut novel definitely shows Hudson has a true storytelling talent. It was an interesting addition to my stack of Pride Reads this month!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
February 28, 2020
ARC Generously provided by Netgalley
I finished this book a few days ago, this book had me thinking days after finishing yet still not an easy one to review. Writing style was unique, at the start a bit of an adjustment (no punctuation or quotation) and it took me a bit to get into but once it picked up I could not put it down.
Max , a teen moves to Alabama from Germany, he feels the cultural changes, language difficulties, figuring out where he fits in socially, and exploring his sexuality. There is a heavy gothic southern feel to this book due to the paranormal/powers Max is learning to deal with.
I enjoyed so much of this story, boys coming of age, falling for someone, unrequited feelings, heartbreak, the story of being young, confused and finding your place with your fiends, figuring out who to trust. I was also taken by how well she wrote about football, you could feel how a boy could love the game and the bond of being a team.
For me If felt as the author tried to put too many messages in the book and much of it had holes or felt unresolved. There was the storyline of the Judge and his cult-like following, Max’s relationship with his dad mentioned a few times, the southern religious town culture, homophobia - Max ‘s mother who appears to be the only redeemable character. The uncle ? Max’s powers and lastly the.very strange and abrupt ending
I enjoyed this overall I was both confused and irritated by all the excess and unanswered.
I finished this book a few days ago, this book had me thinking days after finishing yet still not an easy one to review. Writing style was unique, at the start a bit of an adjustment (no punctuation or quotation) and it took me a bit to get into but once it picked up I could not put it down.
Max , a teen moves to Alabama from Germany, he feels the cultural changes, language difficulties, figuring out where he fits in socially, and exploring his sexuality. There is a heavy gothic southern feel to this book due to the paranormal/powers Max is learning to deal with.
I enjoyed so much of this story, boys coming of age, falling for someone, unrequited feelings, heartbreak, the story of being young, confused and finding your place with your fiends, figuring out who to trust. I was also taken by how well she wrote about football, you could feel how a boy could love the game and the bond of being a team.
For me If felt as the author tried to put too many messages in the book and much of it had holes or felt unresolved. There was the storyline of the Judge and his cult-like following, Max’s relationship with his dad mentioned a few times, the southern religious town culture, homophobia - Max ‘s mother who appears to be the only redeemable character. The uncle ? Max’s powers and lastly the.very strange and abrupt ending
I enjoyed this overall I was both confused and irritated by all the excess and unanswered.
May 23, 2020
***edit: There are trigger warnings at the bottom of this review! I think you can enjoy this book if you are prepared for the dark themes.
I don't know what I thought I was getting into, but it definitely was not that.
This is a weird book to review, because so much is happening, and points aren't dwelled on for long. I feel like this book traumatized me, and not in any sort of cathartic way. It was written well, sure. But the characters just kept escalating the situation, and there was no catharsis, no relief.
While I don't have a problem with the plot per se, the inner world of the main character did not feel developed or true. Nothing felt rational. I found it hard to care about the main character when everyone he loved was telling him he was doing the wrong thing, and he still followed through. Yes, the southern gothic feel was there sometimes, but other than that the characters annoyed me to bits.
I leave this book horrified. I should have just put the book down, but by the time you realize where the book will go you are already past the halfway point. I read this to support the nonbinary author, but damn, I don't know about this one.
TWs: homophobic slurs, Christian based homophobia, gay-bashing, rape, hate-crime, Christian based cult
I don't know what I thought I was getting into, but it definitely was not that.
This is a weird book to review, because so much is happening, and points aren't dwelled on for long. I feel like this book traumatized me, and not in any sort of cathartic way. It was written well, sure. But the characters just kept escalating the situation, and there was no catharsis, no relief.
While I don't have a problem with the plot per se, the inner world of the main character did not feel developed or true. Nothing felt rational. I found it hard to care about the main character when everyone he loved was telling him he was doing the wrong thing, and he still followed through. Yes, the southern gothic feel was there sometimes, but other than that the characters annoyed me to bits.
I leave this book horrified. I should have just put the book down, but by the time you realize where the book will go you are already past the halfway point. I read this to support the nonbinary author, but damn, I don't know about this one.
TWs: homophobic slurs, Christian based homophobia, gay-bashing, rape, hate-crime, Christian based cult
April 21, 2020
"Boys of Alabama" is a unique take on Southern Gothic; Genevieve Hudson uses her debut novel to rewrite and queer the rules of a classic genre of American literature.
Max and his family have recently relocated to Alabama from their home in Germany. On top of the task of learning English, with a Southern twang, Max struggles to understand and control this odd power he possesses: anything he touches that has died is suddenly brought back to life. Combine these powers with his new burgeoning queer desire in a cultural context that is overflowing with Pentecostal fervor, and the scene is set for a strange tale of teen love, paranormal powers, and theological questions.
Unfortunately, Hudson tries to do a bit too much in her book: a majority of the books characters, encompassing people from conservative, Pentecostal backgrounds in Alabama, lack depth and seem rather to be the exact caricatures you'd expect to populate a book that is a bit too on-the-nose in its critique of the deep South. The shallowness with his the characters are painted means that emotional connection readers would normally feel to someone from a Southern gothic tale is missing: there's no queen to make you pity and sigh, no man who is destroyed by his own masculinity. There are attempts at these characters, but, lacking depth, they leave you wishing you got to know them a little more.
"Boys of Alabama" is trying to do something really unique and important: make Southern gothic explicitly queer and tell stories about a region that is perpetually, culturally forgotten. It misses the mark a bit, but the tale is one worth telling.
Max and his family have recently relocated to Alabama from their home in Germany. On top of the task of learning English, with a Southern twang, Max struggles to understand and control this odd power he possesses: anything he touches that has died is suddenly brought back to life. Combine these powers with his new burgeoning queer desire in a cultural context that is overflowing with Pentecostal fervor, and the scene is set for a strange tale of teen love, paranormal powers, and theological questions.
Unfortunately, Hudson tries to do a bit too much in her book: a majority of the books characters, encompassing people from conservative, Pentecostal backgrounds in Alabama, lack depth and seem rather to be the exact caricatures you'd expect to populate a book that is a bit too on-the-nose in its critique of the deep South. The shallowness with his the characters are painted means that emotional connection readers would normally feel to someone from a Southern gothic tale is missing: there's no queen to make you pity and sigh, no man who is destroyed by his own masculinity. There are attempts at these characters, but, lacking depth, they leave you wishing you got to know them a little more.
"Boys of Alabama" is trying to do something really unique and important: make Southern gothic explicitly queer and tell stories about a region that is perpetually, culturally forgotten. It misses the mark a bit, but the tale is one worth telling.
February 12, 2020
Phew. Obsessed with this novel and all things Genevieve Hudson. BOYS OF ALABAMA is a shapeshifting story of queer witchy love in the American deep south. This book is creeping vines and verdant desire. It’s a study of belief systems both true and terrifying. Hudson dismantles and spins a new category of fairy tale for us, one that’s equal parts dirt and splendor; a glinting, dark beauty; an incantation. This will surprise you at every turn, destroy you by its end, and make you believe in magic.
Astonished, as ever, by Hudson's language, her lens, and the sheer playfulness in these aching pages. It's everything at once.
Astonished, as ever, by Hudson's language, her lens, and the sheer playfulness in these aching pages. It's everything at once.
April 29, 2020
Outstandingly original. Unlike anything you’ll ever read today.
RtC
RtC
May 4, 2020
I so wanted to love BOYS OF ALABAMA by Genevieve Hudson, but it just wasn't the book for me. I was completely intrigued by the premise of a high school teenage boy moving from the cosmopolitan Germany to a small town in Alabama, and how he integrates himself into the football scene while, at the same time, coming to terms with his sexuality and grieving a best friend he left behind. It has all the makings of a wonderful novel that is right up my alley, but I just couldn't fully get into the story or accept these horrible characters who push for things I would never agree with. I know, it's fiction and it's important to read stories about people whose views you do not agree with, but perhaps since I'm reading it in May of 2020, it just doesn't sit well for me right now.
There's a lot going on: religion, the supernatural, sexuality, coming-of-age, politics. Hudson backs a lot into this short book which is extremely admirable. It just wasn't my cup of tea, the way it was presented. I had a hard time following what was going on and didn't connect or fall in love with any of the characters. There should be a few trigger warnings (assault, violent death, fatphobia, animal abuse, etc). The end was a nice surprise, though one I could kind of see coming, and I loved the allusions to the southern gothic tradition. It's an admirable first novel, just not a book for me personally.
There's a lot going on: religion, the supernatural, sexuality, coming-of-age, politics. Hudson backs a lot into this short book which is extremely admirable. It just wasn't my cup of tea, the way it was presented. I had a hard time following what was going on and didn't connect or fall in love with any of the characters. There should be a few trigger warnings (assault, violent death, fatphobia, animal abuse, etc). The end was a nice surprise, though one I could kind of see coming, and I loved the allusions to the southern gothic tradition. It's an admirable first novel, just not a book for me personally.
December 3, 2021
4 Stars
Review:
Hazy, unsettling, and, in some ways, intense.
Despite this book being kind of strange (or perhaps because it was kind of strange), I liked it, though I’m finding it hard to describe. Not precisely slice of life, but it doesn’t have a lot of plot either. Maybe coming of age. Perhaps literary fiction, though I don’t really know what that is. There was a fantasy element, just a touch of the supernatural/paranormal, since the main character has the ability to bring dead things back to life, though that’s not really the focus. Nothing about the book is spectacular or flashy or big. It’s a story that’s just… there. It just is. It’s an exploration of the mind of a gay, atheist, German teen with a strange power who’s always been kind of an outsider being displaced to a super religious small town in Alabama, figuring himself out, trying to find a way to fit in, trying to figure out what he wants, and navigating relationships.
The southern small town setting really throws a light on the absurdity of many things that are considered acceptable in the US and, even more so, the harm that religion can do when it’s used to control others or excuse hate or exclude people, especially at the sake of education and science and empathy. The book overall also showed how and why people can become influenced in this sort of way, whether it’s because of how they’re raised, because of who they’re surrounded by, or because it makes them feel like they have a place to fit in.
But as I said, this is also just a story about Max. A teen with unique problems, like his supernatural power, but also less unique but still important problems, like being gay in a dangerously bigoted town. A teen trying to figure life out, falling in with the football players at his super religious school who were not good people, hating but not being able to resist using his supernatural ability to raise the dead, struggling to understand and accept his sexuality, still dealing with the grief of losing someone he once cared very much about, being smitten with the boy who unashamedly wore makeup and women’s clothing and was a self-proclaimed witch.
The story was weird, unsettling, and at times, disturbing. The whole thing had a hazy feel, but purposefully so. There was a strange sort of intensity to the book. Not in terms of action or the emotion it made me feel, more in the way Max felt things and the relationships and experiences he had.
Although there is a sort of romance element, this is not a romance book nor, in my opinion, a beautiful tale of young love or relationships, so you shouldn’t go into the book expecting that because you may not get it.
The plot was kinda meandering. It was focused on character development. I suppose my one story complaint is that the ending was very open and kind of sudden.
There was some pretty writing. As I mentioned, it’s written in a way that made everything feel kind of hazy, as though the reader is getting swept up in everything with Max. That might be a large part of why I enjoyed this, it felt kind of different. However, I know the ebook/print version has no quotation marks for dialogue, so do be aware of that. I listened to the audiobook and just let the narrator sort it out for me.
Speaking of which, I really liked the audiobook narration by Charlie Thurston. He sounded natural, and it was easy to tell important characters apart. Max had a German accent, the others had Southern accents, both of which sounded fine to me, though I’m not an expert on either. Female voices sounded good. I especially recommend it if you don’t want to deal with the lack of quotation marks.
Overall, this was a strange and unsettling book, but I enjoyed the strangeness, the exploration of some disturbing topics, and this look at a somehow simultaneously subdued and intense coming-of-age period in a confused character’s life.
Trigger/content warnings: *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* *END SPOILERS*
*Note: Just because there seems to be some confusion for readers, I wanted to note that I would not classify this as YA (young adult), despite the protag being 16.*
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes books that are a bit strange and disturbing, coming of age stories that aren't necessarily positive, queer teen struggles and confusion, a touch of the supernatural, and pretty, somewhat unique writing.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
Hazy, unsettling, and, in some ways, intense.
Despite this book being kind of strange (or perhaps because it was kind of strange), I liked it, though I’m finding it hard to describe. Not precisely slice of life, but it doesn’t have a lot of plot either. Maybe coming of age. Perhaps literary fiction, though I don’t really know what that is. There was a fantasy element, just a touch of the supernatural/paranormal, since the main character has the ability to bring dead things back to life, though that’s not really the focus. Nothing about the book is spectacular or flashy or big. It’s a story that’s just… there. It just is. It’s an exploration of the mind of a gay, atheist, German teen with a strange power who’s always been kind of an outsider being displaced to a super religious small town in Alabama, figuring himself out, trying to find a way to fit in, trying to figure out what he wants, and navigating relationships.
The southern small town setting really throws a light on the absurdity of many things that are considered acceptable in the US and, even more so, the harm that religion can do when it’s used to control others or excuse hate or exclude people, especially at the sake of education and science and empathy. The book overall also showed how and why people can become influenced in this sort of way, whether it’s because of how they’re raised, because of who they’re surrounded by, or because it makes them feel like they have a place to fit in.
But as I said, this is also just a story about Max. A teen with unique problems, like his supernatural power, but also less unique but still important problems, like being gay in a dangerously bigoted town. A teen trying to figure life out, falling in with the football players at his super religious school who were not good people, hating but not being able to resist using his supernatural ability to raise the dead, struggling to understand and accept his sexuality, still dealing with the grief of losing someone he once cared very much about, being smitten with the boy who unashamedly wore makeup and women’s clothing and was a self-proclaimed witch.
The story was weird, unsettling, and at times, disturbing. The whole thing had a hazy feel, but purposefully so. There was a strange sort of intensity to the book. Not in terms of action or the emotion it made me feel, more in the way Max felt things and the relationships and experiences he had.
Although there is a sort of romance element, this is not a romance book nor, in my opinion, a beautiful tale of young love or relationships, so you shouldn’t go into the book expecting that because you may not get it.
The plot was kinda meandering. It was focused on character development. I suppose my one story complaint is that the ending was very open and kind of sudden.
There was some pretty writing. As I mentioned, it’s written in a way that made everything feel kind of hazy, as though the reader is getting swept up in everything with Max. That might be a large part of why I enjoyed this, it felt kind of different. However, I know the ebook/print version has no quotation marks for dialogue, so do be aware of that. I listened to the audiobook and just let the narrator sort it out for me.
Speaking of which, I really liked the audiobook narration by Charlie Thurston. He sounded natural, and it was easy to tell important characters apart. Max had a German accent, the others had Southern accents, both of which sounded fine to me, though I’m not an expert on either. Female voices sounded good. I especially recommend it if you don’t want to deal with the lack of quotation marks.
Overall, this was a strange and unsettling book, but I enjoyed the strangeness, the exploration of some disturbing topics, and this look at a somehow simultaneously subdued and intense coming-of-age period in a confused character’s life.
Trigger/content warnings: *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* *END SPOILERS*
*Note: Just because there seems to be some confusion for readers, I wanted to note that I would not classify this as YA (young adult), despite the protag being 16.*
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes books that are a bit strange and disturbing, coming of age stories that aren't necessarily positive, queer teen struggles and confusion, a touch of the supernatural, and pretty, somewhat unique writing.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
May 28, 2020
Gracious, this book is a mess. As someone who enjoys literature of all stripes, is the parent of a teen and a young adult, volunteers with youth and works with college students, I read a fair amount of YA fiction. I have never enjoyed a book in the genre less than this one. There is a gruesomeness and brutality to it that remain absolutely unresolved at the end of the novel.
So many of the characters are one-dimensional straw men, including the State of Alabama itself. Why the setting about which the author knows so little figures so prominently in the story (much less the title) is a mystery to me. There are too many errors to list here, but they range from minor nuances like a teenage boy offering a “cola” to someone at a party to anomalies like a cloud of mosquitos in November. There are a bewildering number of cowboy hats and crucifixes, but the most outlandish thing is that a gubernatorial candidate from the Tuscaloosa area would be making campaign calls during a University of Alabama football game. None of which is unforgivable, but the culmination of so many errors makes it hard to trust the author with the narrative.
And the narrative is all over the place. Granted, this is an electorate that ushered Roy Moore into office on multiple occasions, so I can see how Alabama feels like fair game here. But a sledgehammer is apparently the only tool at Hudson’s disposal when examining religion and politics in the Bible Belt, and it makes for an exhausting read.
Particularly puzzling is that the complexity of religion and politics in Alabama - how they interact to the point of sometimes being interchangeable, how menacing they might feel to anyone who is “a blue dot in a red state” - is rich soil, and there is much to be mined there. But rather than wrestle with the reality of it, we get an outlandish tale of cultish nonsense that is so far-fetched it actually diminishes the genuine struggles that real people face.
As an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, I am glad to see this book was well-received and well-reviewed in some circles, and that readers feel validated by it in some way. Those positive reviews were the only thing that kept me reading, in hopes that the either the errors or the darkness would be redeemed by the end of the book and that wading through it would somehow have been worthwhile. I suppose this was intended to be a psychological thriller for a queer (and/or queer-friendly) audience, but the darkness of the plot only spirals toward a wildly unsatisfying ending.
There are glimpses of thoughtful self-examination from a few of the characters that had me vacillating between two and three stars. But ultimately, I think the onus is on an author to write what they know (or at least know what they write), and I just don’t think that threshold was met here.
So many of the characters are one-dimensional straw men, including the State of Alabama itself. Why the setting about which the author knows so little figures so prominently in the story (much less the title) is a mystery to me. There are too many errors to list here, but they range from minor nuances like a teenage boy offering a “cola” to someone at a party to anomalies like a cloud of mosquitos in November. There are a bewildering number of cowboy hats and crucifixes, but the most outlandish thing is that a gubernatorial candidate from the Tuscaloosa area would be making campaign calls during a University of Alabama football game. None of which is unforgivable, but the culmination of so many errors makes it hard to trust the author with the narrative.
And the narrative is all over the place. Granted, this is an electorate that ushered Roy Moore into office on multiple occasions, so I can see how Alabama feels like fair game here. But a sledgehammer is apparently the only tool at Hudson’s disposal when examining religion and politics in the Bible Belt, and it makes for an exhausting read.
Particularly puzzling is that the complexity of religion and politics in Alabama - how they interact to the point of sometimes being interchangeable, how menacing they might feel to anyone who is “a blue dot in a red state” - is rich soil, and there is much to be mined there. But rather than wrestle with the reality of it, we get an outlandish tale of cultish nonsense that is so far-fetched it actually diminishes the genuine struggles that real people face.
As an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, I am glad to see this book was well-received and well-reviewed in some circles, and that readers feel validated by it in some way. Those positive reviews were the only thing that kept me reading, in hopes that the either the errors or the darkness would be redeemed by the end of the book and that wading through it would somehow have been worthwhile. I suppose this was intended to be a psychological thriller for a queer (and/or queer-friendly) audience, but the darkness of the plot only spirals toward a wildly unsatisfying ending.
There are glimpses of thoughtful self-examination from a few of the characters that had me vacillating between two and three stars. But ultimately, I think the onus is on an author to write what they know (or at least know what they write), and I just don’t think that threshold was met here.
August 22, 2020
This book is one good idea stretched to its absolute limit, filled with terrible similes and worthless descriptions of every Southern gothic setting imaginable. I was intrigued by this book because it is set in my home state, written by a fellow Alabamian, and had fantastical elements: three things I thought could lead to an interesting read. Instead, what I received was cliché after cliché, one-dimensional characters, and absolutely no plot development.
The author played into every backwoods Alabama trope: football, false kindness, religious zealotry. Which is not in and of itself a sin. Such things can be used to good effect, to make a point about the setting and its people. But, as the author's clunky caricatures continued to spew more and more cliché Southernisms, I just had a feeling it was coming. What was that it, you may ask. .
This novel progressed exactly as I expected it would: strange foreign boy wants to be in popular group, but is conflicted by his attraction to the strangely-tolerated weird boy. Again, nothing wrong with this setup. What's wrong is that literally nothing happened for 200 pages, then suddenly it happened, and the story was over. Boom, acknowledgements page. No resolution or lessons learned. No character growth or, even, good use of the fantastical element the author introduced.
In summary, a good, and ultimately wasted, idea. One star.
The author played into every backwoods Alabama trope: football, false kindness, religious zealotry. Which is not in and of itself a sin. Such things can be used to good effect, to make a point about the setting and its people. But, as the author's clunky caricatures continued to spew more and more cliché Southernisms, I just had a feeling it was coming. What was that it, you may ask. .
This novel progressed exactly as I expected it would: strange foreign boy wants to be in popular group, but is conflicted by his attraction to the strangely-tolerated weird boy. Again, nothing wrong with this setup. What's wrong is that literally nothing happened for 200 pages, then suddenly it happened, and the story was over. Boom, acknowledgements page. No resolution or lessons learned. No character growth or, even, good use of the fantastical element the author introduced.
In summary, a good, and ultimately wasted, idea. One star.
June 6, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Beth Mowbray
Genevieve Hudson’s debut novel, Boys of Alabama, beautifully weaves together an authentic picture of the American South with a coming-of-age of story involving two characters who absolutely capture the reader’s heart.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
Genevieve Hudson’s debut novel, Boys of Alabama, beautifully weaves together an authentic picture of the American South with a coming-of-age of story involving two characters who absolutely capture the reader’s heart.
Read the FULL REVIEW on The Nerd Daily
March 2, 2021
I couldn't connect with the characters or the story.
I reached the end and nothing.
I really wanted to like it.
I reached the end and nothing.
I really wanted to like it.
September 4, 2021
If you are looking for a rather strange and off-grid read, this one might be for you.
The book supports the cover with the idea of the boys of the good ol' south, but there is just so much more! Both worldly and otherworldly to be truthful. I wasn't expecting it, I probably should have read the book jacket, but I didn't. So surprised was I, but I was invested and engaged and wanted to see where this was going.
Max and his family are German and move to the south (Alabama) for his father's job. Max, who I thought was a kid with an illness, wasn't ill although he was different. The book blurp says he was sensitive and I can live with that and in fact, from Max's inter thoughts I think he is happier in the south than in Germany. He becomes sort of popular with the southern Alabama boys and they seem to like him.
The book ventures off into snake charmers, football hazing, and lots of southern prayers all running parallel to Max's new adventure with Pan the school "witch" and their emerging sexuality.
Had the book not been so beautifully written I would have not been as engaged as I was, but I floated along on the southern heat and all that masculinity of Dixie's young men. I think this review paints a hazy picture of the book that can only be cleared by reading it.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
The book supports the cover with the idea of the boys of the good ol' south, but there is just so much more! Both worldly and otherworldly to be truthful. I wasn't expecting it, I probably should have read the book jacket, but I didn't. So surprised was I, but I was invested and engaged and wanted to see where this was going.
Max and his family are German and move to the south (Alabama) for his father's job. Max, who I thought was a kid with an illness, wasn't ill although he was different. The book blurp says he was sensitive and I can live with that and in fact, from Max's inter thoughts I think he is happier in the south than in Germany. He becomes sort of popular with the southern Alabama boys and they seem to like him.
The book ventures off into snake charmers, football hazing, and lots of southern prayers all running parallel to Max's new adventure with Pan the school "witch" and their emerging sexuality.
Had the book not been so beautifully written I would have not been as engaged as I was, but I floated along on the southern heat and all that masculinity of Dixie's young men. I think this review paints a hazy picture of the book that can only be cleared by reading it.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
June 29, 2020
I finished BOYS OF ALABAMA after a weekend in the sun and this book is seriously stunning.
BOYS OF ALABAMA follows Max, who moves from Germany to Alabama for his dad’s job. He starts playing football, campaigns for a conservative Judge running for Governor, and builds an intimate relationship with Pan, the town “witch.” There’s magical realism, there’s queerness and desire, there’s shame and religion, questions of faith and of history. I loved this book. The writing is intriguing and gorgeous. The characters like Max and Pan will stay with me for a long time, and even secondary characters like Glory and Wes (I cant wait to discuss them In book club - at times, I wondered if Glory in particular fell into the “magical negro” trope, serving only as a backdrop for Max’s self-exploration).
I feel like I read so little fiction set in the American South these days, so it was fascinating to read Max’s understanding of Alabama as an outsider - and how seemingly quickly it shaped his beliefs & sense of self - written by Genevieve Hudson, who was raised in Alabama but has since left. Highly recommend immersing yourself in this book. Trigger warning for homophobic violence and sexual assault.
BOYS OF ALABAMA follows Max, who moves from Germany to Alabama for his dad’s job. He starts playing football, campaigns for a conservative Judge running for Governor, and builds an intimate relationship with Pan, the town “witch.” There’s magical realism, there’s queerness and desire, there’s shame and religion, questions of faith and of history. I loved this book. The writing is intriguing and gorgeous. The characters like Max and Pan will stay with me for a long time, and even secondary characters like Glory and Wes (I cant wait to discuss them In book club - at times, I wondered if Glory in particular fell into the “magical negro” trope, serving only as a backdrop for Max’s self-exploration).
I feel like I read so little fiction set in the American South these days, so it was fascinating to read Max’s understanding of Alabama as an outsider - and how seemingly quickly it shaped his beliefs & sense of self - written by Genevieve Hudson, who was raised in Alabama but has since left. Highly recommend immersing yourself in this book. Trigger warning for homophobic violence and sexual assault.
August 3, 2020
What a strange and wild and bold one this was! Southern noir meets coming of age meets melancholic satire meets I don't know what. I hope it gets the attention it deserves.
March 20, 2020
Some reading experiences feel like a revelation, and that's exactly what reading Boys of Alabama was. I had high hopes for it, but honestly I didn't know exactly what to expect. What I got was a story I felt in my gut, that dug under my skin, rather than just "having read." If I had to compare it to something, I'd compare it to Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones, both in its deft understanding of adolescent hunger and its expert, gritty representation of the American South that is both a critique and a letter of promise. I remember reading Bones for the first time and thinking, damn I've not seen something quite like this before.
The prose has an energy to it that also reminds me of Ward's work, and Hudson is able to mix the literary and the experimental with a story that would appeal to teenagers as well as adults. I also really enjoyed the supernatural element; one of the teenage characters must reckon with the gift/curse of being able to bring animals (and maybe humans) back from the dead. Apart from this one element (which is still enough to intrigue scifi or fantasy fans, I think), the book explores very real concerns—the chains of masculinity that weigh boys down, the promises both mystical and false of evangelical religion, and the pain of burrowing out of the cocoon of adolescence.
Several scenes floored me—particularly one between the protagonist who has a moment of doubt about his sexuality and a female friend—a scene like nothing I've seen before. I appreciate the originality at the heart of this novel, and the way it lets the reader find magic in all the many crannies of its story.
I haven't felt this bereft at having to let go of a character in a long time. Both Pan and Max are wonderful queer characters, but oh Max, he seemed so pure and real! It reminded me of that first time I read Perks of Being a Wallflower, and I was like, damn, I feel so much for Charlie and his pain. I usually don't like sequels to books, but I make an exception for this one! I did not want to let this story end—and yet, the finale was extraordinary in its beauty and its ambiguity.
This ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The prose has an energy to it that also reminds me of Ward's work, and Hudson is able to mix the literary and the experimental with a story that would appeal to teenagers as well as adults. I also really enjoyed the supernatural element; one of the teenage characters must reckon with the gift/curse of being able to bring animals (and maybe humans) back from the dead. Apart from this one element (which is still enough to intrigue scifi or fantasy fans, I think), the book explores very real concerns—the chains of masculinity that weigh boys down, the promises both mystical and false of evangelical religion, and the pain of burrowing out of the cocoon of adolescence.
Several scenes floored me—particularly one between the protagonist who has a moment of doubt about his sexuality and a female friend—a scene like nothing I've seen before. I appreciate the originality at the heart of this novel, and the way it lets the reader find magic in all the many crannies of its story.
I haven't felt this bereft at having to let go of a character in a long time. Both Pan and Max are wonderful queer characters, but oh Max, he seemed so pure and real! It reminded me of that first time I read Perks of Being a Wallflower, and I was like, damn, I feel so much for Charlie and his pain. I usually don't like sequels to books, but I make an exception for this one! I did not want to let this story end—and yet, the finale was extraordinary in its beauty and its ambiguity.
This ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 17, 2021
Just a heads up since there isn't a content/trigger warning: this book does include a rape scene and references to severe child abuse. I didn't feel it was super graphic, however, and these sections are short.
May 26, 2020
This book was incredibly well written. The prose was absolutely beautiful. Helming from Alabama, I really appreciated how well she captured this place can feel sometimes. Reading in depth about how religion and football truly do run things for some people in this state was mildly difficult for me sometimes. I was also sent back to the uncomfortable mindset of growing up here as a boy who didn’t play football.
I loved what the author did with relationships in this book. How fickle love and friendship can be aren’t often written as honestly as they are in this book and that was incredibly refreshing to see characters I was rooting for end up being flawed and sometimes assholes.
There is a brief rape scene in the third act of the novel so be prepared if that is a trigger for you.
I loved what the author did with relationships in this book. How fickle love and friendship can be aren’t often written as honestly as they are in this book and that was incredibly refreshing to see characters I was rooting for end up being flawed and sometimes assholes.
There is a brief rape scene in the third act of the novel so be prepared if that is a trigger for you.
March 26, 2021
Genevieve Hudson was not equipped to write about race or people of color. That and the mistreatment of an SA in the novel.
It's a no from me.
The writing was not bad... when it was about the white characters. Okay, so here are some of my main issues with the novel and the development of characters of color.
Wes and Glory who are two of few or only black characters in novel. Wes is literally a written example of Black Excellence that being said that is the only way the folks at this Christian school accept him, solely on football and athletic prowess. Glory, Wes' sister carries a problematic trope of POC in stories in which they serve as wise sages meant to give the best advice to the white characters only to further their development. This was very annoying to read considering that a book all about Glory would have been MUCH more interesting.
Spoilers and TW
Pan is a Puerto Rican boy in the novel who serves as Max's main love interest. Let's get this straight, Max, a European boy from German who immigrates to Alabama has the powers to give life to the dead and Pan who has a lineage of curanderismo doesn't have access to any powers?? Okay.
Frustrated that Hudson cannot identify that as inappropriate especially since they wrote in that background for Pan only to make him jealous of Max's (white) power.
As I wrote in the beginning of my review, their is an SA near the end of the book and I just feel like it didn't add much to the plot. The SA is between a drunkin' Max and Pan's longtime boyfriend Lorne. Max and Lorne already have an uncomfortable and tense relationship without SA and when I imagine the story and the ending without including the SA, I sense that Max would still feel the same kind of pressure and trepidation to revive Lorne without making him a r*pist.
Overall, I did not enjoy this book.
It's a no from me.
The writing was not bad... when it was about the white characters. Okay, so here are some of my main issues with the novel and the development of characters of color.
Wes and Glory who are two of few or only black characters in novel. Wes is literally a written example of Black Excellence that being said that is the only way the folks at this Christian school accept him, solely on football and athletic prowess. Glory, Wes' sister carries a problematic trope of POC in stories in which they serve as wise sages meant to give the best advice to the white characters only to further their development. This was very annoying to read considering that a book all about Glory would have been MUCH more interesting.
Spoilers and TW
Pan is a Puerto Rican boy in the novel who serves as Max's main love interest. Let's get this straight, Max, a European boy from German who immigrates to Alabama has the powers to give life to the dead and Pan who has a lineage of curanderismo doesn't have access to any powers?? Okay.
Frustrated that Hudson cannot identify that as inappropriate especially since they wrote in that background for Pan only to make him jealous of Max's (white) power.
As I wrote in the beginning of my review, their is an SA near the end of the book and I just feel like it didn't add much to the plot. The SA is between a drunkin' Max and Pan's longtime boyfriend Lorne. Max and Lorne already have an uncomfortable and tense relationship without SA and when I imagine the story and the ending without including the SA, I sense that Max would still feel the same kind of pressure and trepidation to revive Lorne without making him a r*pist.
Overall, I did not enjoy this book.
August 21, 2020
Can we please please please stop doing this annoying trend in literary fiction where we do, like, a touch of magical realism? Often I feel like it is shoehorned into otherwise totally realist fiction, and that it is a clumsy, cheap way to Highlight The Themes. The fantastic needs to grow out of the characters, the reality of the situation. With this book, I would have honestly loved to have read the version of this story that was about queer, outsidery kids moving through these hyper-masculine and bigotted spaces. The resurrection shit, honestly, was my least favorite thing about the book (although the Max as foreign cypher got old quick, too). And then once it took over the book in the final third, I just stopped caring. Which sucks, because the book starts off so muscular and tense. Hudson is a great writer, I just think the fascination with the pixie-dust-parts got the better of her this time. I will still be watching for her future work, most definitely.
(C+)
(C+)
September 3, 2020
2.5⭐
this was....um not the best I guess
the reason this got a 2.5 is the writing style. i loved it. BUT. the rest.
lost me at about 50% if not earlier
I'm really sad I didn't enjoy this book :(
the cover is pretty by the way ❤
this was....um not the best I guess
the reason this got a 2.5 is the writing style. i loved it. BUT. the rest.
lost me at about 50% if not earlier
I'm really sad I didn't enjoy this book :(
the cover is pretty by the way ❤
August 3, 2020
I fell prey to another mediocre MFA novel, I have only myself to blame. “Maybe this time will be different,” I said, like a fool. “This one has magical realism. Maybe it will move beyond just lengthy descriptions of what ~The South~ is.”
The lack of quotation marks really should have showed me that would not be true.
Oh well. It was fine. Some of the descriptions were nicely written. I spent a lot of time dreading the ending because generally I know how books about gay Southern teens with a lot of death themes in them go, but when I got there it felt like an anticlimax. Probably because it only got three pages and zero follow-through?
But jfc, why does every abstract litfic-y book about The South feel compelled to include a sexual assault?!
The lack of quotation marks really should have showed me that would not be true.
Oh well. It was fine. Some of the descriptions were nicely written. I spent a lot of time dreading the ending because generally I know how books about gay Southern teens with a lot of death themes in them go, but when I got there it felt like an anticlimax. Probably because it only got three pages and zero follow-through?
But jfc, why does every abstract litfic-y book about The South feel compelled to include a sexual assault?!
June 19, 2020
This is a weird and wonderful novel.
It features Max, a Queer teen who is not only exploring and trying to understand his sexuality, but he is doing so as a recent transplant from Germany to Alabama. There are a lot of layers there: he is trying to navigate culture shock, language barriers, grief and personal history, the extremes of religion, where he fits in at school—and he has a secret, strange power.
I listened to the audiobook of this one, and I found myself sinking deep into the lush prose. Hudson has a way with metaphor and description that not only helps you see what is going on, but really feel like you are there.
To me, the overarching theme of the book was the constrictions of conformity, the suppression of the individual. Max tries to fit in, he wants to fit in. He joins the football team, he starts going to church, he tries to understand everything there is to know about being a teenage boy in Alabama, and he wants to do it right. But the problem is that he isn’t any of those things. He doesn’t fit nicely into all of those boxes, and when he tries to force himself to do it, everything begins falling apart.
There are definitely some dark moments in this book, putting an uncomfortable, closeup lens on messy moments of grief and trauma. But Hudson mixes dark with light, death with life, and this truly is a unique and thought-provoking novel.
It reminds me of another book I recently finished, The Seventh Mansion. That too, features a young boy who is exploring his sexuality and learning how to be who he is. It also goes to some dark places, sometimes feeling more I highly recommend them both!
It features Max, a Queer teen who is not only exploring and trying to understand his sexuality, but he is doing so as a recent transplant from Germany to Alabama. There are a lot of layers there: he is trying to navigate culture shock, language barriers, grief and personal history, the extremes of religion, where he fits in at school—and he has a secret, strange power.
I listened to the audiobook of this one, and I found myself sinking deep into the lush prose. Hudson has a way with metaphor and description that not only helps you see what is going on, but really feel like you are there.
To me, the overarching theme of the book was the constrictions of conformity, the suppression of the individual. Max tries to fit in, he wants to fit in. He joins the football team, he starts going to church, he tries to understand everything there is to know about being a teenage boy in Alabama, and he wants to do it right. But the problem is that he isn’t any of those things. He doesn’t fit nicely into all of those boxes, and when he tries to force himself to do it, everything begins falling apart.
There are definitely some dark moments in this book, putting an uncomfortable, closeup lens on messy moments of grief and trauma. But Hudson mixes dark with light, death with life, and this truly is a unique and thought-provoking novel.
It reminds me of another book I recently finished, The Seventh Mansion. That too, features a young boy who is exploring his sexuality and learning how to be who he is. It also goes to some dark places, sometimes feeling more I highly recommend them both!
July 12, 2022
This is difficult to explain in a make-sense way but I liked the detached way our MC Max understood things.
There was no judgement on either side of the spectrum. Or better yet, both sides of the spectrum were seen as human until one took it to an extreme. Blind faith will make people do crazy things.
Max is a boy from Germany who moves to Alabama because of his father's work. He's been an outcast back home but now that he's in Alabama things take a turn. He joins the football team where the constantly talking Americans take a liking to this quiet European.
Alabama is an incredibly Christian state and Max gets swept up in the way people talk about their God. He meets a lot of God-fearing people but he also meets Pan, a classmate, who is the antithesis of a religious zealot. So he's walking a line between faith and no faith but knowing that something greater is out there. He likes the comfort religion brings because he sees how it brings people together. However, he also sees the ugly side of abuse of power in the name of the Lord.
Anyway enough of me rambling. I loved the book. I loved the atmosphere it conjured up.
There was no judgement on either side of the spectrum. Or better yet, both sides of the spectrum were seen as human until one took it to an extreme. Blind faith will make people do crazy things.
Max is a boy from Germany who moves to Alabama because of his father's work. He's been an outcast back home but now that he's in Alabama things take a turn. He joins the football team where the constantly talking Americans take a liking to this quiet European.
Alabama is an incredibly Christian state and Max gets swept up in the way people talk about their God. He meets a lot of God-fearing people but he also meets Pan, a classmate, who is the antithesis of a religious zealot. So he's walking a line between faith and no faith but knowing that something greater is out there. He likes the comfort religion brings because he sees how it brings people together. However, he also sees the ugly side of abuse of power in the name of the Lord.
Anyway enough of me rambling. I loved the book. I loved the atmosphere it conjured up.
May 20, 2020
This is another book that is joining my collection of favorite reads this year! ❤️ Y’all! I couldn’t put this one down. Seriously. Can’t believe this is Hudson’s first novel!
Boys of Alabama beautifully weaves together an authentic picture of the American south with a coming of age of story involving two characters who will absolutely capture your heart. Max has just moved to Alabama from Germany and like any high schooler he wants to fit in. He leans into the local culture of football, fried food, and God ... that is, until he meets Pan. Described as the “local witch,” Pan captivates Max with his Walmart dresses and fishnet stockings. As Max shares the special power he possesses, he grows closer to Pan and struggles to balance this love with the pressure to be the church-going athlete he is expected to be by the surrounding community.
I am an absolute sucker for a novel about identity and Hudson had me from page one here. I’m still thinking about Max and Pan and this is one I will definitely read again down the road!
Boys of Alabama is out now. Go get it! Many thanks to Liveright Publishing for gifting me this galley.
Boys of Alabama beautifully weaves together an authentic picture of the American south with a coming of age of story involving two characters who will absolutely capture your heart. Max has just moved to Alabama from Germany and like any high schooler he wants to fit in. He leans into the local culture of football, fried food, and God ... that is, until he meets Pan. Described as the “local witch,” Pan captivates Max with his Walmart dresses and fishnet stockings. As Max shares the special power he possesses, he grows closer to Pan and struggles to balance this love with the pressure to be the church-going athlete he is expected to be by the surrounding community.
I am an absolute sucker for a novel about identity and Hudson had me from page one here. I’m still thinking about Max and Pan and this is one I will definitely read again down the road!
Boys of Alabama is out now. Go get it! Many thanks to Liveright Publishing for gifting me this galley.
June 8, 2020
3.5? I think ??
What did I even just read? This book is very strange and that's honestly the only way I can describe it. Everything to the way it's written to the plot to the characters is just strange. BUT Hudson manages to somehow still create very realistic characters with insecurities and faults that I empathized with. This book left me with so much to think about and is one of the most original YA's I've read in a while.
SPOILERS:
What did I even just read? This book is very strange and that's honestly the only way I can describe it. Everything to the way it's written to the plot to the characters is just strange. BUT Hudson manages to somehow still create very realistic characters with insecurities and faults that I empathized with. This book left me with so much to think about and is one of the most original YA's I've read in a while.
SPOILERS:
April 27, 2020
"I love how en vogue dead bodies are around here." -Boys of Alabama, by Genevieve Hudson
This book was my introduction to Genevieve Hudson. The writing and technique were fine but I just did not click with the characters. None of them. I did not understand Max, I did not agree with him on most of his opinions and choices. This story was not enjoyable to me. The beginning of Part 3 got exciting with the ghosts, paranormal, the visiting of the haunted asylum, but it was short-lived.
The story had a lot of potential; I particularly enjoyed reading about seeing the South through a foreigner's eyes. I patiently waited to see where Max's power was going to take me; I was hoping it was going to lead to something exciting, something big, but the resolve was a let-down.
I am still giving it a 3-star for the writing quality.
Thank you Net Galley and Liveright for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was my introduction to Genevieve Hudson. The writing and technique were fine but I just did not click with the characters. None of them. I did not understand Max, I did not agree with him on most of his opinions and choices. This story was not enjoyable to me. The beginning of Part 3 got exciting with the ghosts, paranormal, the visiting of the haunted asylum, but it was short-lived.
The story had a lot of potential; I particularly enjoyed reading about seeing the South through a foreigner's eyes. I patiently waited to see where Max's power was going to take me; I was hoping it was going to lead to something exciting, something big, but the resolve was a let-down.
I am still giving it a 3-star for the writing quality.
Thank you Net Galley and Liveright for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2020
I've been lucky enough to see Genevieve Hudson ace the critical nonfiction/memoir hybrid, followed by her overwhelmingly wondrous short story collection, and now she kills it with her first novel, a coming-of-age queer southern fish-out-of-water story. Boy of Alabama stars Max, a German teen who tries to figure out where he fits in his new small-town Alabama home.
But it's not as simple as that. Max is coming to terms with not only his sexuality but also his remarkable life-giving power, which he tries to keep secret. Soaked in an environment that worships football as much as its strange church culture, Boys of Alabama feels a bit like a queer and magical Harry Crews novel if you can imagine that. Hudson's descriptive scene-setting, lean prose, and complex cast of characters make this novel feel alternately like a wild fever dream and an aching heart.
But it's not as simple as that. Max is coming to terms with not only his sexuality but also his remarkable life-giving power, which he tries to keep secret. Soaked in an environment that worships football as much as its strange church culture, Boys of Alabama feels a bit like a queer and magical Harry Crews novel if you can imagine that. Hudson's descriptive scene-setting, lean prose, and complex cast of characters make this novel feel alternately like a wild fever dream and an aching heart.
dropped
May 31, 2020Dropped at 8%. I can't do it. This book has no quotation marks for dialogue and has already had quite a bit of dialogue in the short amount I've read. I have no desire to spend the entire book trying to sort out which parts are being spoken and which parts aren't when this all could have been solved with proper punctuation. Reading an extended conversation that had non-dialogue bits thrown in throughout it was frustrating. The lack of quotation marks is just incredibly distracting. The only way I could do this is if I did it on audio so I didn't have to look at the text.
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