A review by fleeno
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

5.0

 The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a collection of nine short stories, featuring different generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught between the church’s double standards and their own needs and passions. 

I'm not always a fan of short stories, they tend to be either too short or shallow, however this book destroyed my preconceived notions. Every single story was marvellous and I was left satisfied. Deesha Philyaw has created characters with enough depth that it didn't matter where the story picked up, they were complete and real characters. Each story tells a tale of women who are in a struggle between following their desires and doing what society and their relgion says they should do. It’s an insight into the duality of women, the virginal wife and the object of desire, the Madonna and the Whore. Furthermore they shows the double standards often imposed by society. The pastor can be guilty of adultry, but not a woman. The son can stay out late, leave and have a life, but the daughter must stay. Even if you're not religious readers will find themselves relating to the characters and their struggle to fit in and break out of a mould created by society. This was such a brilliant collection and may just have change my mind about short stories.