The Fine Art of Insincerity by Angela Hunt

My interest was immediately piqued by the back cover copy of this novel. “With ten marriages between them, three Southern sisters wonder if they’ve inherited they’re grandmother’s tendency for serial marriage.” Although this book is at the heart a sisterhood-style relationship novel, Hunt’s vibrant imagination brings it to life and engages the reader right from the start.

Within the first few chapters we discover that sister Rosemary is planning her own suicide while Penny is about to embark on an affair with a handsome doctor. How’s that to get a relationship novel about love and commitment started with a bang? Trouble also seems to be brewing in the twenty-seven year marriage of the relatable, Christian sister Ginger.

Roesmary’s appointment with suicide is postponed when their deceased grandmother’s beach house is finally sold, and the three women plan to meet there to pack and clean. Their weekend together will reveal a lifetime of secrets and force them to see the world through new eyes. While Hunt takes ample time to develop the intricacies of sisterhood and delve into the past, the present moment crises in each of their lives keeps the story moving at strong pace.

No matter which character you relate to, responsible, duty-bound Ginger, flighty, defensive Penny, or wounded, heartsick Rosemay, this book will leave you in someway changed. Personally, as I approach the second half of my life I find I am more interested in books about how to maintain a marriage and raise a godly family than in books about fairytale romance. This one certainly fit the bill, providing a compelling read while presenting valuable truths. I found myself identifying with each of the women on differing levels and truly enjoyed this journey through the terrain of relationships.

With only one nominally Christian character, the spiritual content of this book is presented in a subtle and very realistic manner. However, by the end the reader is left with a clear Biblical worldview on the subjects of love, marriage, commitment, and forgiveness.