After a seventeen-year wait, Kathryn Stockett returns with her second novel, THE CALAMITY CLUB. Her debut, THE HELP, was published in 2009, and after hearing several glowing endorsements of her new novel, I could not wait to get my hands on it. 

Like her previous novel, Stockett’s new offering is set in Mississippi, though this time the year is 1933, one of the bleakest years of the Great Depression. Times are hard, and everyone is doing their best to make ends meet.

The story opens with Birdie Calhoun trying to figure out a way to help her family pay the property taxes on their home in the tiny, rural town of Footely, Mississippi. Her father is deceased, leaving Birdie, her mother and her spitfire grandmother to tackle the problem. They finally decide Birdie should travel to the slightly larger town of Oxford to visit her socialite sister, Frances, and ask for a loan.

After an all-day journey, Frances is less than thrilled to have Birdie show up on her doorstep. But, in an unexpected turn of events, it is Birdie who ends up helping Frances and her new family.

The story is told from two perspectives: Birdie’s and that of 11-year-old Meg Lefleur, a girl living in an orphanage. The two stories eventually intersect when Birdie volunteers at the Oxford orphanage where Meg is staying, bringing their very different worlds together. 

Stockett brings many of the strengths of her previous novel to this one—memorable characters, a richly drawn historical setting, and a storyline that balances drama with moments of humor. Readers get a compelling story that propels the action forward while also gaining a sense of what life was like during one of the country’s most difficult periods. Through the striking contrast between the sisters’ socioeconomic circumstances—one struggling to keep her family afloat and the other living a privileged life—Stockett explores family, class, loyalty and the lengths to which people will go to survive using whatever skills and resources they have. 

Birdie is an especially engaging character. Matter-of-fact, determined and fiercely loyal, she is not easily intimidated, even when she finds herself in an unfamiliar world far removed from the one she knows. Meg, meanwhile, brings the viewpoint of a child who has learned much too early how uncertain life can be. As their stories gradually intersect, their relationship gives the novel much of its emotional heart. 

Readers who loved THE HELP will find familiar elements here: Stockett’s interest in women whose lives and contributions often go unnoticed, as well as her use of Mississippi as an important part of the story. Yet THE CALAMITY CLUB is ultimately quite different from her debut. The Depression-era setting gives the novel a very different social and economic backdrop. While women remain at the center of the story, Stockett focuses more heavily on their autonomy, resourcefulness and ability to determine their own futures. And rather than emphasizing broad social change, the novel is more concerned with the immediate, often desperate struggle to survive—and the strength women find by relying on one another. 

After such a long wait, Stockett’s return to fiction is a welcome one. THE CALAMITY CLUB is ultimately a story about family, struggle and generosity. Readers who enjoy strong female characters, historical fiction and stories about women finding strength in one another will find much to appreciate here. Seventeen years is a long time to wait for a second novel, but Stockett has returned with a story that makes the wait worthwhile.

Review written by: Jeana Gockley, Joplin Public Library Director

Find the book in the catalog.