The Calamity Club | Kathryn Stockett

Kathryn Stockett's first novel since the global bestselling phenomenon THE HELP- the sweeping story of a group of underestimated women and an 11-year-old orphan girl whose fates converge in Mississippi in 1933.

Oxford, Mississippi, 1933. Eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Ever since her beloved mother failed to come home last Christmas Eve, she's been one of the 'unadoptable' girls at the town's orphanage, where she fights each day to keep her wits sharp and her spirit unbowed.

When she meets Birdie, a young woman who has come to Oxford determined to remind her socialite sister of the impoverished family she left behind, for the first time in a long while it seems someone else might care about Meg's future.

But as the Depression tightens its grip, Birdie begins to suspect her sister's charmed life may be founded on a tapestry of lies. Then, Birdie encounters Charlie, a woman haunted by loss who has been pushed to the brink with nothing left to lose.

Drawn together by circumstance, they find unexpected kinship among a disreputable, determined band of women. But in a town steeped in hypocrisy, even the smallest act of defiance can have dangerous consequences.

Bold, heartwarming, and riotously funny, The Calamity Club is an unforgettable story of resilience and friendship, and a sisterhood of underestimated women who risk everything to take back control of their fates.

Smart, funny, and driven by unforgettable characters ... a must-read * Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry *With exquisite storytelling and unforgettable characters, The Calamity Club is a joyful, heartbreaking, heartwarming read. I loved it so much * Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things *As witty, bold, and transportive as it is heartbreaking and compassionate ... storytelling at its finest. Stockett's masterfully drawn characters are simply unforgettable. Bravo to Meg, Birdie, and Charlie for reminding us to never underestimate the bottomless resilience of smart, spirited women in revolt against circumstance and injustice * Shelley Read, author of the international bestseller Go as a River *The much-anticipated second novel from the author of The Help - 17 years in the making - is set in Oxford, Mississippi in 1933 and tells the story of a group of women and an irrepressible 11-year-old orphan whose fates converge * Good Housekeeping - The 12 new books we're most excited to read in 2026 *What a treat to savour - a new novel from the author of The Help, about three women in Depression-era Mississippi * Substack: Book(ish) - Good things, good intentions and good books for 2026 *

Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Help. She lives in Mississippi and New York City.