Harper Lee

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

There is no way I can review this book in a coherent and sensible manner. My passion for To Kill A Mockingbird, for Scout and Atticus is too strong. Every word will be lead by emotion. My excitement and apprehension on learning of this books very existence was momentous. The author had always pronounced vehemently that she would never publish another book. So, on learning that she was doing indeed that, but it was questionable as to whether she was coerced into agreeing to it's publication left me perturbed. The comments, reviews and general consensus leading up to it's release made me determined to read it with an open mind without prejudice.

To begin with, I have to say that the extra glimpses into Scout's childhood were for me, very emotional. Jem, Scout and Dill's games and life view were such an integral part of TKAM and to be able to add to those was heart warming.

Meeting Scout as a young adult was exactly as I had expected it to be. She's the same headstrong, full of life and gumption Scout as she was as a child.

This is a story of growing up, of finding oneself.
To misquote Thomas Wolfe,
"“You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood, back home to romantic love , back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time..."

Scout finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew and believed.

Some of the conversations between Scout and Atticus make for uncomfortable reading, especially when you've held Atticus Finch on a pedestal your entire life... kinda like Scout has. The higher you build your pedestal, the further your idol has to fall.

Am I glad this book was published? YES! Whilst reading it, I'd stop and clutch the book to my chest, feelings akin to reconnecting to a long lost friend. We may not have followed the same paths, but the connection and affection is still there. As I finished reading the last sentence, tears pouring down my face, I was grateful for the opportunity to revisit with the Finches and the Maycomb community.