The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I came to this as I come to so many books, through a recommendation and not just one.  I was also aware somewhere in the back of my mind that it had been made into a film and so, with a holiday imminent I popped into Waterstone’s to take advantage of the last of their 3 for 2 deals and pick up a copy.  This book has sold so well that you’ve undoubtedly read it and if you have then you’re about to see the film version.  If like me you find yourself not having picked it up, then read on here by all means and then go out and beg, borrow, buy a copy.  No, really, it is that good.  The Help is author Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel and you’ll be surprised by that given that it has the feel of a well-told classic, compared as it has been to Gone With The Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird.  It’s an incredibly powerful telling of several stories some, if not all of which will break your heart.  It really is an amazing debut from an author who’s incredibly talented.

The story is narrated by three different women living in Jackson, Mississippi in the 60s where black maids raise white children but integration is a long, long way from their daily reality.  Aibileen works for Miss Leefolt and is raising her seventeenth white child at the same time as she grieves for her son’s recent tragic death.  Minny, sassy and quite the best cook in town is trying to keep her tongue in check and not get fired from yet another household and Miss Skeeter, home from college, is trying to find out where her childhood maid has disappeared to and discover what she really wants to do with her life. As the story unfolds, boundaries are crossed, friendships are forged and courage is found. Each of the three come to depend on each other, work with each other and because they do, an extraordinary and powerful story is shared.

Each of the three main characters narrates their part of the story within their own chapters and each is defined beautifully, with distinct voices and unique personalities as they take up the reins of the tale from each other.  Often, you get a description of events from three different perspectives and this works brilliantly to highlight even further the disparity in status between the help and the employers.  Despite their very different characters, they each bring an immediate warmth and comfort to the story and draw you in right from the start.  It’s a tale that shocks and outrages you at appalling conditions and people’s capacity for outdated and repulsive attitudes, but one that also makes you laugh out loud and somehow, in the midst of all of it, the strength of the characters, the absolute truthfulness and the belief and care you have immediately in and for them, involves you to the point you feel aggrieved and angry and supportive often at the same time.  It isn’t only the three narrators that are so carefully drawn.  Celia Foote is a fascinating character and even Minny’s husband, though he appears very little in the book, is as present as anyone.  As is the town of Jackson.  The author creates a character out of their hometown, making a story about both community and ostracism.  You can feel the heat in the hot summer and the mud on the truck Miss Skeeter uses to drive over to Hilly’s.  Ah.. Hilly.  She’s absolutely the villain of the piece, but she’s also a complete product of her environment.  When you learn what happens to her you’ll think it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person!  I loved Miss Skeeter’s journey but ultimately all three are looking for their place in the world and some meaning to their lives.  Miss Skeeter’s interaction with Elaine Stein was fabulous, the outcome of which changes everything. The trust between the three is touching; each making a true sacrifice for something that’s important.

It really is a super read.  It is witty and funny and compassionate.  It can be quite raw at times as you hear both sides of an old story during a fascinating period of American history, but it is refreshing and manages to never feel preachy; you’re too busy following their paths.  It’s absolutely destined to be a classic.  Do read the book before you see it at the cinema.

ISBN: 978-0-141-03928-2 · £7.99 · Paperback

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