Book Review: “Go Set a Watchman”

When Harper Lee published “To Kill a Mockingbird,” it instantly became an icon of American literature among the works of Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain and J.D. Salinger. Such success made her one of a few women to receive the Pulitzer Prize in fiction and a worldwide recognition. It was the first and the only novel Lee ever intended to share. Yet 55 years later, a controversial sequel “Go Set a Watchman” came out, disappointing many devoted readers. 

People, who grew up embracing the moral principles of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” felt let down by what followed after. Especially Americans. For them, the original story was a symbol of the nation’s progress in racial inequality, gender roles and integrity issues. But “Go Set a Watchman” turned all that upside down. It exposed an ambiguous side of an admired hero, Atticus Finch, and other praised characters, starting a difficult conversation about disillusionment and maturing.

The plot

Everyone has a place associated with their childhood. Either you go there often or not, at some point you get to return and discover that it disappeared forever. “What happened?”, you wonder. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch aka Scout asks herself the same question. She lives in New York City now and travels to Maycomb, her hometown in Alabama, every year for two weeks. This time, however, Jean Louise doesn’t recognize it. 

The South is going through a painful, nevertheless necessary transition. Not just Maycomb has drastically transformed. Family and friends, whom Jean Louise loves deeply, ended up on opposite sides of the civil rights movement, transforming as well. Calpurnia, Finch’s retired African-American maid, is not excited to see Jean Louise back. Despite being a mother-like figure to her, Calpurnia remains cold during their encounter, leaving Jean Louise in confusion and despair.

Even Jean Louise’s father, a wise and caring man, a man she has always trusted unconditionally to do the right thing, appears to be a different person. Not everything Atticus stands for aligns with her views anymore. Jean Louise must overcome illusions of the past in order to accept the challenging present and find a path into the future. She needs to develop confidence in her own feelings.       

What to consider

“Go Set a Watchman” aspires to capture internal struggles of reaching actual adulthood and establishing one’s beliefs, but fails to express that idea in a cohesive, engaging manner. In comparison with “To Kill a Mockingbird,” it lacks personality. Although “Go Set a Watchman” is highly criticized for numerous technical flaws, boring, scattered narrative and racism, it offers a unique opportunity to learn how a masterpiece was born. 

Misrepresented as a sequel, in reality “Go Set a Watchman” is a poorly edited first draft of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” For the reasons listed above, Lee did not plan on releasing the manuscript. Multiple news sources like NPR and BBC News suspect she faced commercial pressures due to her old age. Unfortunately, we will never know the truth. The investigation did not find any evidence of abuse or neglect and is permanently closed. 

Don’t hesitate reading “Go Set a Watchman,” because it shattered someone else’s ideals. Just like Dr. Finch said to his niece, “Every man’s island, Jean Louise, every man’s watchman, is his conscience. There is no such thing as a collective conscious.” So decide for yourself whether exploring Lee’s creative process can add more value to you. While the novel is a clumsy portrayal of another era, it has the potential to prove significant in overlooked ways.

Find more book recommendations in this section of my blog. Happy reading!