The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
Review of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
“You can’t save me, because I’m not in peril.”
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (2020). Published by Wet Virginia University Press.
I’d seen so much about this book before actually picking it up at my local library. I follow a lot of diverse Instagram book accounts to try and collect the best niche book recommendations on the Internet, and this book, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, kept popping up again and again on my feed.
I’m not Black but I particularly like to read about the Black American experience because of where I grew up: in Baltimore, Maryland. Race politics and urban sociology is something I’ve always been interested in but have never the chance to formally take a class in, so whenever I get the chance I pick up a book about gender and race.
I found this tucked away in a corner of my library.
Naturally, I had recognized it immediately because of how I’d seen it so much, but for the first time, as I picked it up off the shelf and carefully scanned the synopsis, I’d realized how exactly this collection of short stories aligned to my personal taste. I knew this was a collection I’d both enjoy and learn from, and, before we even get into the review, I can confirm this is the case.
Now let’s actually start the review!
A collection of short stories delves into the lives of women considered holy, giving a glimpse into the desires of Black women.
Almost immediately, you, as the reader, are thrust into the inner worlds of the women depicted in the stories. I personally really felt this in the very first story, as our main characters are two women that keep sleeping together. Told in a first-person narration, we get into the head of the one woman in the situation who sees it for what it is.
The other woman, however, seems to vehemently deny that what the two of them are doing is considered sex, then keeps talking about how she needs to find a man to marry. She declares herself a virgin, although in the LGBTQ+ sense she is 100% not a virgin, and then proceeds to get upset when the narrator brings up the fact that what they’re doing isn’t holy.
From the way that this story is set up, we see the two juxtaposing sides of the church and being removed from it in the roles of the women’s lives. One is essentially being told what to think to the point where she denies the relationship right in front of her, while the other sees it plainly in terms of living and dying and everything in-between.
The worlds in these stories are so immersive and impressive that I think that they could be turned into full-length novels. The characters are absolutely fleshed out to the point where you can empathize and see each of their individual nuances, how desire has impact them each differently.
We also see the hypocrisy in the church; this is really present for me when we get the story about the girl and the peach cobbler. The girl literally watches how her mother and the local Reverend are engaging with an affair before her eyes, and, when she goes to tutor the reverend’s son, the son also cheats on his girlfriend with her.
Women are the backbones of their communities, especially in religious contexts, and for Black women, their voices especially aren’t heard by the mainstream. This is a book that truly gives voice to these women, shows them as something more than good, holy women that are under the word of God.
Each one of these women is considered sinful in more than one in the name of the church, but that’s the entire point of the collection. It’s to create something unique with every woman you’re introduced to, whether you agree with it or not, and show them as real people with hopes, dreams, and desires.
Philyaw’s writing style is also something noteworthy to point out as well. This is a collection that was clearly well-crafted and took many years due to how tight the writing is. I personally cannot get on board with the flowery language that some writers use that doesn’t get anywhere with the plot or the point.
These are stories that are blunt and matter-of-fact. Whether it’s the grandmother then wants to knock the gay out of her granddaughter or the little high school girl that just wants peach cobbler, no breath or time is wasted. That’s something I can really appreciate in this one, especially because it’s short, compelling, and I’m not bored with the writing style.
Overall Thoughts
It’s a really good collection of short stories, one that humanizes a certain group of women that aren’t typically heard of. I can see why this book has received critical acclaim, as it’s capable of navigating the intricacies of these women’s lives while managing to not bore the reader too much.
If you’re into anything that I’ve mentioned in this review and analysis, then this is the book for you. At the very least, I definitely recommend picking up a copy at your local library.
