Book Review: "Come Sunday" by Isla Morley

Title: Come Sunday

Author: Isla Morley

Publisher: Picador Publishing

ISBN, PUB Date: 978-0-312-42977-5, August 3, 2010

Reviewed by: Tiffany Schlarman for Author Exposure

Abbe, a young, restless mother with roots from South Africa, is married to Greg, the pastor of a small church in Honolulu. Their lives are changed drastically when their three-year-old daughter, Cleo, is struck by a car and killed. While Greg turns to God and his church for healing, Abbe turns inward, trying to hide from the pain of her past as well as her present. The accident drastically changes their lives and marriage. As Abbe tries to heal, she must also face the Ghost of the past, whom she has so carefully avoided. Come Sunday is a dramatic, poignant tale of hope in the midst of devastation.

I have never felt so connected to a character in a novel of this nature. The first half of this book had me captivated, full of emotion, and constantly tearful. I cried many times within the first sixty pages as Abbe deals with unthinkable loss. The writing captured every little detail of the accident and aftermath; it felt incredibly real and relatable. As a mother, I could feel her pain, understand her thoughts, and anticipate her actions. As the book progresses and Abbe reflects on her past, I was amazed at all this woman had endured and was truly hopeful that she would be able to move on with her life.

Though the book captivated me to begin with, it started to lose my attention about three-fourths of the way into it. The last fourth of the book was a slow read for me. I didn’t quite feel as connected to Abbe as I did in the beginning. While this section of the book ended adequately, it was a vastly different ending than I hoped to read. I didn’t feel the transition to this part of the book was as smooth as I would have liked it to be. Its connection and path in the story make sense, but it’s a little choppy to all of a sudden read an entirely different story.

Overall, Come Sunday is a remarkably stunning debut novel. I enjoyed reading it, despite its inevitable emotional toll. I do wish the ending would have captivated me as much as the beginning. The characters are authentic and raw. They do not hold back the reality of the situations that occur. It is a truly haunting, vividly poignant novel of loss, redemption, and new beginnings. I would recommend it.