Review: Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

Title: Go Set A Watchman

Author: Harper Lee

Publisher: Harper Collins

Date of Publication: July 14, 2015

Number of Pages: 278

Summary

Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch - 'Scout' - returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman and a world in a painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past - a journey that can be guided only by one's conscience.

Review

Should I even try to explain to you how hyped I was for this novel? Ever since I've heard that it would be published I couldn't really wait to get it on my hands and read it. Although I dreaded the possibility of being disappointed. But the urge to find out what happened to all those beloved characters was so strong and so I've finally got a copy and read it. And I wasn't disappointed, despite my high expectations!

Jean Louise returns to Maycomb, only to find it different from before. The faces of the people are the same, but she observes different attitudes. Even the town itself is changing, with new buildings. Go away the old buildings said. There is no place for you here. You are not wanted. We have secrets. Now this is a feeling a little familiar to me and everyone who happens to live away from their hometown. When you return you always observe the differences and you get lost in nostalgia and childhood memories.

But Go Set A Watchman isn't only about Scout's nostalgia. It's her journey towards the discovery of her own mind, her own conscience. And this is the reason why eventually I didn't mind the portrayal of Atticus in this novel. Yes, he is definitely racist, but he still believes that everybody should be treated by the law the same way, These views are the ones that passed down to Jean Louise and these views are what Jean Louise's generation will establish in the south at some point. I won't lie that he was the Atticus that I'd love to see, but he was definitely the Atticus the novel needed.

Another interesting character in Go Set A Watchman is Dr. Jack Finch, the younger brother of Atticus. He is the one that tries to make Scout understand what is going on, but his way of explaining helps her come to her own conclusions. His part in the story is crucial. One thing that I didn't like about this novel is the small part in the story of characters like Jem, Calpurnia, and Dill. I'd like to see more of them and find out what happened to them all those years.

It would be unfair to compare Go Set A Watchman with To Kill A Mockingbird. Keep in mind that the first one is a manuscript, not a fully edited novel like the latter. But I found it more mature, maybe because we witnessed the story through the eyes of an adult protagonist and not a child. I like to think of both of those books as a part of a single work, which in fact, were created as one.

Well, all in all, while reading this novel I had some pretty intense feelings. I was even crying in the end. The last three chapters are really powerful. I highly recommend Go Set A Watchman to all those who loved To Kill A Mockingbird. You will discover other sides of these beloved characters.

So, my advice is...

I need a watchman to lead me around and declare what he seeth every hour on the hour.