Book Review- The Fine Art of Insincerity

Have you ever hidden reality from your close friends? How about from your family? Sometimes, we can become so dysfunctional that we perfect the art of insincerity, even with those whom we ought to be able to trust with our feelings.

In the latest book from Angela Hunt, 3 sisters come together for a weekend to clean out their grandmother’s beachfront house. It sounds quaint, except they barely know one another outside of their bond of growing up in a troubled home. Following in the family tradition, Rose and Penny have had multiple marriages and both are restless again. In contrast, Ginger’s 27-year marriage is solid…or is it?

In The Fine Art of Insincerity, the sisters sort through their grandmother’s belongings, and each woman goes through her own emotional crisis, nor noticing how much her other sisters are hurting.  Gradually, the walls begin to break down.

This book deals with some heavy issues. A mother’s suicide, abortion, marriage, divorce, widowhood, family dysfunction, adultery, and much more. It’s an emotion-stirring story. I think readers will find themselves identifying with one of the three sisters. Ginger is the responsible one. Penny is the one in midlife crisis who dresses inappropriately and flirts with every man who comes around. Rose loves her dog to pieces, doesn’t realize just how much her husband loves her, and grieves over the children she’ll never have. If readers don’t relate to one of these three, surely the eccentric grandmother, a cheating husband, or a husband suspecting his wife of plotting to leave will stir some emotional connection.

Angela Hunt writes well and draws the reader into the story well. The one thing I found missing in this story is spiritual depth. Although each sister realizes her own flaws at some point, there isn’t a depiction of God’s grace. Other than Ginger being on staff at her church, there isn’t real spiritual depth here. There were several elements of the story that were morally wrong and characters didn’t arrive at a point where they acknowledge this. I think the story would have been much more powerful if this had been developed more.

I received this book from Glass Road Public Relations for review purposes. My opinions are my own and my reviews are objective and honest.