The 656-page novel, due Tuesday, arrives 17 years after “The Help,” after Stockett moved to Bali, lost a contract and secured a new publisher.
Set in Depression-era Mississippi, it follows two white women, an orphan and a spinster, as they struggle to survive amid racism and sexism.
Stockett said criticism of “The Help,” which sold 15 million copies and became an Oscar-winning film, included substantive feedback she absorbed while continuing to write.
After 17 years of silence, has Kathryn Stockett finally answered the critics of 'The Help'?
Her debut sold 15 million copies. Can a bleak 656-page saga on eugenics possibly live up to it?
A forgotten law inspired her new novel. What other dark truths of the Great Depression will it reveal?