Adult Fiction

While I primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature looks at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examines its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humour, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

The Help is a great fit for teens who enjoy reading historical fiction or stories that center around strong female characters. Despite being an adult novel, The Help is easy to read with quick pacing and simple language. Older teens will be able to relate to Skeeter as she struggles between her own expectations and those of her family. A captivating read with strong characters and interesting subject matter.

There is also a movie coming out later this summer starring teen movie sensation Emma Stone.

YA Connection: Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan and The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez