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

challenging dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This short collection of stories reflects on the experiences of black, American women trying to reconcile the realities of their lives with the expectations of being "good church ladies". The human experience includes dysfunctional families, fractured relationships, extremes of charity, patience, and love as well as lust, addiction, lies, secrets, and generational trauma. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies doesn't pretend to offer answers on how to reconcile the tensions between reality and expectation, but it does give an honest, poignant reflection on what it is like to live in that space.