The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw Blog Tour

 There are moments where I really want to just sit and read but I perhaps don't have the time to really escape into a story. 

That's where I've really fallen in love with short stories.

They allow small periods where I can delve into a book, get the benefit of reading fiction and then get on with whatever I need to be doing.

So when I was given the chance to join the blog tour for Deesha Philyaw's book The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, I just knew I was in for a treat.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. The nine stories in this collection feature four generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church's double standards and their own needs and passions. With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be, and as free as they deserve to be.

I loved the style of these stories.

It looked at both the reality of certain black women's lives whilst also looking at their inner thoughts, what they see, how they perceive certain goings on as they go about their days.

Split into nine stories, I found each one to be unique. 

Every tale was distinct, with its own voice.

Narration played a big part in these tales. It was all well crafted with honest afterthoughts. The women portrayed are ones who know their own mind and desire more than what is perhaps first presented to them.

With this small collection of stories comes an array of themes, each one important and I was pleased to see them highlighted. They included:

Religion, sexuality, body positivity, infidelity, sexism, feminism.

And woven amongst all of them were complicated relationships. Families, couples, friendships. 

Although fiction, the way Philyaw writes makes it read like non-fiction. 

The thoughts and feelings transcribed could very well be a reality for someone and this I think gives the book an extra depth as I'm sure there will be many women who read these stories and sit there nodding along, feeling seen, feeling heard.

The Secret Lives of Church ladies is an important group of stories. It is a short and snappy read that is at times sassy and gets straight to the point. Showing the complexities of the connections experienced through a variety of situations.

In this book you will find strength.

An absolute pleasure to read.