Book Review - The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2/5 stars

"All I'm saying is, kindness don't have no boundaries."

It's incredibly difficult to write with integrity about race, at the same be completely honest about it. Although, I found it a little difficult to buy everything the author was saying. In one hand, she is trying to show the image of white supremacy as a bad one while, on the other hand, she is making attempts on showing us the good side of the white people. I mean, Come on! How can they be good and bad both? Nope! Sorry, you can't have it both ways.

If you ask me what went wrong for me as far as the writing is concerned? I'd say, most of all. It made me uncomfortable, and not in a good way. That's where the problem began. Despite, the underlying tension and references to violent events that do occur eventually, the book struggled. I'm very okay with reading a book that makes me so uncomfortable that I don't want to stop reading until I know how the story would end. I'm perfectly fine with a story that would make me cry and sob too, once in a while. What I'm not okay with is reading a book that would make me sad and then pull me back to say - 'It's okay!' It is not okay. If you're going to do it, do it all out.

While I wholeheartedly appreciate the well written attempt to such an important theme, the story didn't quite hold my attention. Some of the part I found myself skimming through the pages whereas on some instances I used to find myself lost while reading. I was struggling through the pages. I wanted the story to end just for two reasons. One, to know what happens in the end. Two, so that I can tick the book off my tbr list and pick the next one up.

I don't know what the hype is all about. If its only about horrible time in the history, and in the country where racism is still alive then I get it. But, for the writing aspect of it, I didn't find it overwhelming. I wouldn't recommend the book, to say the least.

Review Posted: 17 July 2022.