Book: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Pages: 451; Hardcover; Published by Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam

The Help is about Skeeter, who has just returned home from college and Aibileen and Minny, 2 maids.  They come together for a project about what it’s like to be 2 African-American maids in 1960’s Mississippi.

I wasn’t sure about this book during the first few chapters, but as I continued reading, I found myself wanting to know more about Aibileen and Minny and what secrets they knew about the people they worked for.  It was really hard to put down, and I just got so caught up in the story. 

It felt very real, and Stockett did such a good job at bringing the people and the relationships between them to life.  You really see that we’re more alike than different, and that even a few differences aren’t so bad. 

It did start off a little slow, and it took a while for it to get going, but everything came together at the end.  The book shifts between Abileen, Minny and Skeeter.  I wasn’t sure about the 3 different narrators at first, but by the end, I thought it worked pretty well.

It’s hard to believe that this is Stockett’s first novel.  It’s so believable, and I could relate to so many of the characters, even the ones that I didn’t like.  It’s definitely engaging and thought-provoking.  I really can’t wait to see what Stockett comes up with next.

I give it a 4 out of 5.  It’s pretty uplifting, and I’m glad there was a happy ending.