The story of Scout Finch, her father Atticus, and their notorious neighbor Boo Radley is one of the most well known works in literary history. To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless classic about a young girl who discovers the world is not always as kind and good as it seems. It’s semi-autobiographical tone, intense symbolism concerning innocence and racial inequality, and loveable characters make this book a classroom favorite both among students and teachers. The book was such a successful bestseller, that the film industry immediately grabbed the story and turned it into an award winning film, staring Academy Award Winning Best Actor Gregory Peck. Now, several decades later, Lee has decided to publish To Kill a Mockingbird’s sequel entitled Go Set a Watchman.
Until now, Lee has been considered a one hit wonder in the literary world, but interestingly enough, she actually wrote the sequel a few years prior to To Kill a Mockingbird. By publisher suggestion, To Kill a Mockingbird was selected for publication instead of Go Set a Watchman—despite having been written first. Go Set a Watchman is about Scout Finch, 20 years after the dramatic trial focused on in To Kill a Mockingbird.
It is strange to see such a popular and celebrated book get a sequel after such a long time. Sequels, almost cliché by definition, are always worse than the original work. The Twilight books were all terrible after the first (although the first wasn’t a work of genius), and the Ender’s Game sequel Speaker of the Dead was not nearly as shocking and interesting as its predecessor, and the list goes on. So, when you have a unique, one-of-a-kind, classical, and well thought out novel like To Kill a Mockingbird, and then add a sequel half a century later how will people react?
Personally, I am very excited to see what Harper Lee has concocted these last 55 years. She wrote the book before To Kill a Mockingbird, but she had to have devised something new over these last 55 years, changing it around and editing it to fit a more modern audience. She’s had plenty of time to perfect the book, and since she wrote it prior to her first novel, it should have the same finesse and feel to it. My only concern is that it won’t be as ground shaking as To Kill a Mockingbird was during the time of publication. In the 1960’s racial inequality and segregation was at the forefront of discussion and debate. Racial topics will continue to be an issue in society, but how will Lee integrate the issue into Go Set A Watchman in a way that satisfies her modern readers?
Curious and hungry for another book, people will naturally read Go Set a Watchman regardless if they think it’s going to be a decent sequel or not. Until its official on July 14, 2015, be on the watch to find out what kind of journey Scout and Atticus have in store for us in Harper Lee’s .
Pre-order your copy today at Barnes and Noble or other bookstores!