Mennonite in a Little Black Dress - Rhoda Janzen

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress - Rhoda Janzen (2009)

This one kept popping its head up on a few book blogs recently. I look at a few, but seldom remember what the person said about it when it arrives on the reserve shelf.

Rhoda is in her early forties when after a difficult hysterectomy, she finds her mentally disturbed husband is leaving her for a fellow he finds on a gay website, and then she has a car accident. Her husband sounded so manipulative, I was surprised that she stayed so long in the marriage anyway, but at least she keeps her sense of humour throughout. All of this compounds and she returns to her home to be cared by her family, who are Mennonites living in California.

I found it an interesting glimpse into their culture, with the references to not dancing or listening to the radio or swimming being the more interesting points. All in all, I felt it was just a nice story about returning home to be cared for by your parents, and reminising about your childhood and growing up. 3/5