Finished: The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

I just finished the audiobook on my way to work and y’all I’m not okay. This was another character driven book and honestly I loved it. The Calamity Club was not a book I needed a break from, I listened to the audio book every chance I had and I enjoyed it, but I am left with so many questions. Where’d they go? What happened to Birdie? What about Rory? Why is Chicago the end for Flossie? Is there a part 2? What about Jack? Where is Meg going to live? Will she like school? Why didn’t the Heidelbergs arrange for Meg’s school to be paid for? What is Charlie going to do now that she’s out of the business? Will Welty stay with his wife after finding out how terrible she was? How could he be so terrible? 

Argh, I would say that at the end there were too many loose threads. Too many characters that we aren’t sure about. Too many roads for my brain to go down. I like my books to be tidy at the end. I feel invested in these lives now and it seems too abrupt of an end. 

While on the surface the book is funny and the situations seem ridiculous, when you really get into the book there are major societal issues being addressed. Charlie’s character is the victim of eugenics, forced sterilization, and the hypocrisy of moral purity targeting the impoverished and sex workers. As a poor woman she is forced to bear the consequences of having a child with a wealthy man. She is deemed feeble-minded and both her and her child suffer significantly. Meanwhile, Welty goes about his life without any consequences. His wife targets Charlie and Meg, punishing them for the shit her husband did. Charlie isn’t innocent in all this, she knew he was married, but Meg did t ask to be born into that situation and she bore the brunt of Garnett’s abuse. Btw, Garnett is so fucking weird; what the fuck was that shit with Meg’s hair and calling her dirty as she caressed her in that filthy room. 

Three days later and I’m still thinking about Meg. Does she like her new 6th grade class? Does her teacher appreciate her? Is her mama good to her? Does she ever get to see Birdie? Oh Birdie. Does Birdie marry Jack? Can she actually have kids and the doctor was just an idiot? What about Virginia? Does she go on to open her own practice? Does she continue to help sex workers stay healthy? 

I think the fact that I’m still thinking about the characters is a testament to how well developed they were. I felt invested in their lives and like they were my friends. I miss hearing from them when I’m driving or packing my lunch.

But seriously, I need answers.