Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (2015)

As most will be aware, this is a recently published second novel by the writer of To Kill a Mockingbird. It is the story of a grown-up Jean Louise (known as Scout), the central character in TKAM, and her return after several years in New York City to her home town in Alabama. She finds that things seemed to have changed regarding the relationships of the black and white residents and not for the better. Racial animosity seems to surface everywhere, and the "color-blind" Jean Louise is devastated to find that her beloved father Atticus reveals himself to be a racial bigot. A large portion of the novel is taken up with discussions and observations about Southern attitudes about the black population.

I put off reading this book for a long time because of all the negative pre-publication discussions as to whether or not Harper Lee is of sound mind enough for informed consent and did indeed want the novel to be published. It seems suspicious that her lawyer "found" it just a couple of months after the death of Lee's sister, who had watched over her affairs. As it turns out, this is not a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird as many first assumed but instead a first draft of that novel, which Lee was asked to rewrite completely, a task that took her two years. It seems suspicious that she would, after so many years, decide to publish an effort which had been deemed lacking by the astute editor who guided her to the completion of a novel which is widely regarded as a classic. I suspect, as do many others, that the lawyer who handles her affairs and the publisher who put the book out might be looking to make profit without regard for Miss Lee's wishes or literary reputation.

Finally my curiosity overcame my scruples, and I bought the book, although I waited until I could get it used. Here's my opinion: this is not a great novel; this is not even a good novel. It does include sparks of brilliance, when its flashbacks depict incidents from Scout's childhood. Thank goodness for a perceptive editor who saw the promise in a preachy and generally lackluster manuscript and was able to guide a writer to reach her potential.