Review: Come Sunday by Isla Morley

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Picador; 1 edition (August 3, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0312429770
• Source: Publisher

Abbigail (Abbe) Deighton lives with her husband, Greg, and three-year-old daughter Cloe in Hawaii.  Greg, a minister,  is a caring, loving, husband.  Cleo is your typical toddler, keeping Abbe on her toes.

Abbe’s life is quite different than the one she had growing up in South Africa.  Her father was an alcoholic, physically and abusive toward her mother.  In Abbe’s eyes, her mother put up with the abuse for far too long.

Abbe’s life is ripped from her when Cleo is hit by a car and killed. She goes into a long depression, in a sense dying along with her daughter.

It isn’t until Abbe returns to South Africa that she discovers that she hasn’t been “whole” for some time.  She learns more about her parents’ deaths, and her life.

COME SUNDAY is a heart-wrenching tale of one mother’s grief after losing her child, and ultimately herself.  I literally sobbed through the first 50-60 pages.   As a mother myself, I can’t bear to think of how I would react if I lost one of my children.  However, this is not a tale full of dread and sadness.  It is not only a story of love and loss, but also a journey of rediscovery.  This path Abbe takes is uplifting and empowering, she learns more about her mother; she wasn’t the virtual punching bag Abbe grew up thinking her to be.  Abbe, always the minister’s wife, becomes an individual and finally begins to lead the life she’s meant to lead.

I highly recommend COME SUNDAY, I cannot sufficiently portray how much I loved this book.  Yes, the start of the journey Abbe faces is difficult, but the pain she goes through is worth it in the end.

Beauty, the servant from Abbe’s childhood, said it best:

“The death of our babies is not our punishment…We must carry our burden like the buckets of water the women carry on their heads.  Most of them carry small buckets because their necks are not strong enough.  But a few of the women, the strong ones, have to carry the big buckets.  They have to carry more water; they have to walk a long way.  Then, when the others have finished all their water and are thirsty again, the woman wit the big bucket comes home.  She puts it down and doesn’t have to carry it again for a long time.” (p. 253)

Please don’t let the dreariness of this book’s premise prevent you from reading it.  Just like Abbe’s journey, the reader’s initial sadness will be rewarded in the end.

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