The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

Deesha Philyaw is clearly a talented and versatile author whose creativity shone brightly in this book as she played with perspective and narrative style. I appreciated the distinct voice of each protagonist and was incredibly impressed with Janina Edwards' narration of the audiobook.

This powerful exploration of women in the Black church addresses faith and losing it, sexuality and desire, love and tension. The relationships--between lovers, siblings, mothers and daughters--are mostly honest, raw, and engrossing, but I felt that too many of the stories lacked the depth necessary even (or especially) in the form of short fiction.

My Ranking:
1) Dear Sister - Middle sister Nichelle writes a letter to her unknown half-sister when their father dies, sharing anecdotes and stories to introduce the family she is inviting her to join. I love a story that can make me laugh and cry in span of only a few pages, and this was absolutely successful. The epistolary format worked well for me, and Deesha (through Nichelle) crafted a family of well-developed, distinct characters in snapshots of only a few sentences.
2) How to Make Love to a Physicist - A high school art teacher meets a physics professor at a STEAM conference, where they bond over public education reform, science and faith, and mutual attraction. The second-person narration was surprising and effective, and especially as a passionate educator married to a physics PhD. student, this story really made me smile. 
3) Peach Cobbler - A girl grows up watching her mother make peach cobbler for the pastor every week, memorizing her movements until she can do the same, despite never being served a slice for herself. Utterly heart-breaking, this story explored toxic relationships in so many forms, and it was incredibly profound to see how Olivia's life mirrored her mother's despite both of their efforts to counteract the possibility. 
4) Instructions for Married Christian Husbands - Confident and sensual, an unnamed (but recognizable) narrator writes a literal instruction manual for men who come to her for sexual relief outside of the confines of their marriage. I loved the sass and humor of this story and was drawn to the undertones of something nearly tragic.
5)  When Eddie Levert Comes - Mama suffers from dementia, and Daughter attempts to forget some memories of her own as she patiently cares for her and listens, day after day, to songs of Eddie Levert and prepares for his ever-imminent arrival. This was devastating, if somewhat difficult to access, and I admired Daughter's stoicism and determination through all of her complicated relationships. 
6) Snowfall - When a woman leaves the South, her mother, and all that feels like home to follow her girlfriend to a new life in Chicago, the snow becomes a representative of all that is beautiful and horribly painful about needing and finding a new home. I was embarrassed and tearful right along with the characters but craved something more hopeful than I got by the end. 
7) Not-Daniel - A man and a woman meet in the halls of a hospice and find release in each other as they wait for their mothers to die. The concept of this story is devastating and sincere, but the execution left me wanting. 
8) Eula - Two women in a non-committal, long-term friendship that is sometimes more celebrate and mourn the coming of the year 2000. I expected more from the first story in the collection, but this left me confused and skeptical about continuing with rest of the stories.
9) Jael - Jael recounts her teenage friend's relationship with an adult man in her diary, which is discovered and read by her horrified grandmother. I had a really difficult time following the narrative voice of this story (particularly on the audio), and I had no real interest in any of the characters or their motivations. 

One of my new favorite short story collections for sure. 

An intimate look at relationships involving one or more religious people, and how the mix of beliefs can have an affect on the dynamic. From mother-daughter, to sisters, to married men and their mistresses, there's no shortage of dysfunctional relationships here. From a pastor cheating on his wife, to two teachers in a secret relationship... I couldn't put this down!

I look forward to reading more from Philya!!