The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

This book is a warm hug. It is a hearty heap of warm peach cobbler. It is one of the most convincing and painful depictions of love and family I've read. I loved it so much.

One issue I have with anthologies is that often only a few stories stand out, while the rest are more forgettable. Not so with The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. Each story wraps you up in it for as long as it takes to tell it. The pacing is so interesting, like Philyaw is in absolutely no rush. But she also knows when to cut things off, balancing resolution with ambiguity.

I'm trying to think of anything imperfect and coming up blank. The most I can say is that “Jael” took me a few tries to understand, but I think that's just because I was listening to the audiobook and not paying attention. And don't get me wrong; Janina Edwards was a lovely narrator, so I am to blame. I adored this little collection. Highly recommend.