Amy Sue Nathan

Reading through the rain

Sunday was a dreary, rainy, chilly day — the perfect day for reading.  I rarely read on weekdays and on weeknights when I fall into bed I sleep when my head hits the pillow.  To me a rainy day means — oh don’t run errands or walk the mall; don’t watch TV or go out to eat.  To me a rainy day means read.

And read I did.

After a morning of laundry I picked up The Help by Kathryn Stockett, loaned to me by a friend who said she liked it but didn’t love it.  It was on my “to read” list, I’d even reserved it at the library and was number 31 in the queue.

So I pulled my favorite reading chair closer to the living room coffee table because putting up my feet is an important part of hunkering down with a good book.  I opened the book at noon and read page one.   When I went to the bathroom I took it with me.  My daughter asked for lunch and I think I waved toward the kitchen and said, “OK, make whatever you want.”  I read while I cooked dinner.  Not only do I not remember what we ate, but I didn’t remember putting the coffee pot with the mugs, and the next morning I thought I was going crazy when I couldn’t find the coffee pot.

Anyway…over the course of very few distractions (which is the glory of a dreary Sunday and two teenagers) I read the entire book by 7pm.  444 pages.

Need I say more?  Oh, ok.

The Help is a Southern story written eloquently in 1960′s Southern dialect.  It’s told in first person but from three points of view which I found fascinating but not at all confusing because the three main characters voices were so distinct.  It’s the story of relationships and civil rights — it’s about family and friendships and things that are stronger than both.

In my opinion, it was eloquent. It was an intriguing and well-written story — and those things don’t always match up for me.  I think there are good stories poorly written and boring stories that are written well.  The combination set off fireworks in my brain.  I read it like a writer but was also pulled in so deep that I was able to simply enjoy.

I am a skimmer and I didn’t skim — not even one page.  For me, that’s huge.

I am pretty sure I’d even have read it if it were sunny.