The Sunday Wife is Dean Lynch. Her other half is the renowned Reverend Ben Lynch who's been tapped to head the wealthy Methodist church in Crystal Springs, Florida. Dean adjusts to this house owned by the church and a social calendar controlled by the congregation. She automatically takes a backseat to Ben and assumes the role of "The Preacher's Wife."
Augusta Holderfield, prominent citizen of Crystal Springs, befriends Dean and rescues her from the hypocritical church environment. News of the ladies' friendship sparks gossip in pious social circles and drives a wedge between Dean and Ben. The Reverend fears his image will be tarnished.
The Sunday Wife follows Dean as she emerges from her husband's holy shadow. A published author on the subject of relationships, Ben is blind to the cracks in his own marriage. With Augusta's assistance, Dean rearranges her priorities. She meets a colorful cast of characters on her path to self-discovery, bucking the social requirements of her position and sending shockwaves through the congregation. When tragedy occurs, Dean must choose between assuming the suffocating role of Preacher's Wife or spread her wings in search of her own voice.
Cassandra King's novel is rich and full of emotion. She submerges her cast in a world of Southern conservatism, fanaticism and religious hypocrisy. Dean's dutiful role is illustrated to perfection, while Augusta is a firecracker in her own right.
King leads unsuspecting readers down unexpected paths. The tale turns in ways you can't imagine. The marital discord Dean endures is sometimes painful and sad, but you'll furiously turn the pages as new developments are revealed.
The Sunday Wife is reminiscent of an Anne Rivers Siddons novel, though it's more dramatic in presentation. King has a firm grasp of the Southern Bible Belt and it shows in many emotionally charged scenes. This is a memorable tale will have readers saying, "Pat Conroy? Oh, he's Cassandra King's husband." Move over, Prince of Tides, there's a new writer in the house.
