The Help by Kathryn Stockett, a review

The book: Well-written if you like books that take three days to complete

The author: Worth looking into

Review:

I should preface this review by saying that I was not keen on having to read this book. I think it's fairly safe to say that I would have thrown a temper tantrum if I thought it would have gotten me out of having to read it for my book club. Instead, I did the mature thing and read the book in its entirety.

The basic gist of this novel is that three different women, one white and two black, go about creating a book of stories told from the perspective of black maids about what life is like working in white households in the 1960s. Skeeter is the young, post-college graduate with the idea behind writing such a book, and Aibileen and Minny are two of the maids she interviews. The point of view varies between each of the three characters who narrate.

As far as literature is concerned, I am sure that a number of people really enjoyed reading this novel. It was not badly written, in my opinion, but it was not my style at all. I do not enjoy reading books that take three days to complete, nor do I like when people narrate the same way they speak. I had to read the entire book out loud in my own head, if that makes any sense, in order to really understand what people said half the time. My preference for reading is to skim, and this was next to impossible with such a writing style.

The story itself wasn't a bad idea. You learned about each person a snippet at a time, and some of the details of their lives were extremely vivid. I, for one, will probably never eat a pie again after reading one of the scenes. If you are introverted and process everything through your own emotional filter, this book might not be safe for you to read. The subject matter is heavy, fraught with references to or descriptions of violence, racial inequality, miscarriage, and various types of abuse. There are also parts of the book that show the sweet side of human nature, even in a society where equality was outright rejected.

All in all, I suppose that The Help must be well-written to get on my nerves and fray them as badly as this book did. I would consider looking into Kathryn Stockett's future works to see where she goes from here. I would not recommend this book to anyone who internalizes everything. Trust me when I say you do not want to internalize this. The overall message is a positive one, but the devil is in the details, and the details are as depressing as hell.