The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Philyaw, Deesha. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. West Virginia University Press, 2020.

Philyaw’s book is divided into nine short stories featuring female protagonists who all have some connection to a church or religion.

The first story, “Eula” (1), is told from the point of view of Caroletta, a woman who meets her best friend in a hotel suite to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Caroletta and Eula have been occasionally having sex with each other for the past ten years, while Eula, who is deeply religious, has been searching for a husband in vain. Caroletta has feelings for Eula that Eula does not necessarily return, and this creates tension between them. The narration switches between the women’s past and the present night, when they discuss their futures.

“Not-Daniel” (11) is narrated by a woman who is meeting a married man in the parking lot of the hospice where both of their mothers are dying of cancer. When he arrives, they have sex in her car, and she wonders whether he is thinking, like her, about whether one of their mothers might suddenly die. Afterwards, he says that he can either be focusing on her or thinking about his mother. She laughs, even though she feels this is inappropriate.

“Dear Sister” (16) is written in the form of a letter from a woman named Nichelle to Jackie, with whom she shares a father who has recently died. Nichelle is close to their father’s other three daughters, Kimba, Tasheta, and Renee, but none of them have met Jackie. Nichelle tells Jackie anecdotes that illustrate how their father was not a good parent to any of them but how strong their bonds are with one another. She ends the letter by making it clear that they consider Jackie part of the family.

“Peach Cobbler” (38) is told from the perspective of Olivia, a young girl who grows into a teenager while suffering from a lack of affection from her mother, who is having an affair with Reverend Neely, the married pastor at their church. Olivia’s mother makes peach cobblers for the Reverend every Monday. When she is in high school, Olivia begins to make her own cobblers in the hopes that her mother will be proud of her, but her mother discourages her endeavors. When Olivia’s mother arranges for her to tutor the Reverend’s son, Trevor, in math, Olivia struggles with keeping the secret of her mother and the pastor’s affair around his family. She soon develops a crush on Trevor and has sex with him, but eventually finds out he has a girlfriend he never told her about. The day she finds out, she blames her mother for the situation and they argue, but she realizes that she is dependent on her mother and has nowhere else to go.

“Snowfall” (74) follows Arletha and Rhonda, a couple living in an unnamed Northern city. As the story opens they are clearing snow from their driveway one morning. Both characters grew up in the South, but they lost their family connections there because both of their mothers disapprove of their homosexuality, Rhonda’s more so than Artletha’s. They are struggling to adapt to the culture and winter climate of the city, and Arletha misses the South. After clearing the snow, Arletha takes Rhonda to work. Arletha later slips on ice, hurts herself, and almost calls her mother. She stops herself and calls Rhonda, who is unsympathetic when Arletha tells her what happened because she is bitter about not being able to communicate with her own mother. Rhonda later apologizes and makes boiled crabs, a meal that reminds Arletha of home, and the two reconcile.

“How to Make Love to a Physicist” (94) is written in the second person. The narration follows a pattern of answering the repeating question “How do you make love to a physicist?” (95). The protagonist, framed as “you,” is Lyra James, who falls in love with Eric, a man she meets at a STEAM conference. The story follows the beginning of her romantic relationship with Eric as she struggles to overcome body shame and negative feelings from past relationships. It ends with Eric and Lyra meeting again and spending the night together.

“Jael” (113) is narrated in alternating sections by a teenager named Jael and her great-grandmother and guardian, Granny. Granny begins reading Jael’s diary and finds that she is sexually attracted to women, specifically their church pastor’s wife. As Granny continues reading Jael’s diary and thinks about how to save her from a life of sin, Jael spends time with her friend Kachelle and Kachelle’s much-older boyfriend, Jamie, a sexual predator who Jael eventually murders by causing a gas leak in his house. Granny finds out about this event via Jael’s diary. Granny considers that Jamie was a bad man, thinks to herself that killing is still a sin, and worries about Jael being caught by the police.

“Instructions for Married Christian Husbands” (145) is written as a series of instructions to married Christian men by an unnamed woman with a penchant for seducing such men, who guides them through her rules and boundaries for affairs. She explains that she is attracted to the hunger resulting from their disappointing marriages. However, she has no desire to become involved in their marital problems or steal them away from their wives.

“When Eddie Levert Comes” (155) is narrated in the third person from the perspective of a character known as Daughter whose elderly mother, Mama, is suffering from dementia. Mama continually talks about Eddie Levert, the singer of the O’Jays, her favorite musical group, as if he is someone she knows who is coming to see her. Daughter reflects on how her mother has hurt her over the years, but also thinks about how Mama has suffered.