Yes, the Sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird Ruins Everything, But I’m Glad I Read It.
After a hectic week as a counselor at a summer camp, I came home, unpacked, and promptly caught a cold.
Huzzah!
Yes, I am happy to be banished to my room in complete exhuastion. Why, you ask? Because almost a month ago my preordered copy of Go Set A Watchman, Harper Lee’s highly-anticipated prequel for To Kill A Mockingbird, came in the mail.
Until my timely illness, I’d been busy rangling middle schoolers, throwing water bottles at them, and threatening heat strokes to all who denied my efforts. Now I finally had the chance to sit down and smell the crisp pages (I never buy books brand new).
“Uh, you might not want to read that.”
My dad caught me, happily burrito-ed in blankets on the couch. I had my $20 dollar book, a cup of tea, and a mountain of throat lozenges next to me. I was ready to dive in.
“I read some reviews that say it ruins To Kill A Mockingbird.”
Hmmm. That sounded suspicious. To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favorite books of all time. As a rule, I do not reread books. Yet, I’ve read To Kill A Mockingbird three times. It is one of the books that defines who I am, as a reader and as a person. I could not bear to have it ruined.
On the other hand, I was curious. I wanted to learn more about the mysterious Harper Lee who wrote the masterpiece of American literature and then disappeared for over half a century. And goodness sakes, there was no way I could waste over twenty dollars on a book that I would never read.
So I unwrapped yet another cherry flavored throat lozenge, cautiously opened the cover, and gave Go Set A Watchman a chance.
It started out slow. Real slow.
The writing is nowhere near as polished as To Kill A Mockingbird. It reads more like a first draft than a finished work. It was fun to be reintroduced to my favorite characters, but pretty soon the lack of plot stiffled my excitement. Just as I started to realize how bored I was,
BOOM.
Without revealing spoilers, I’ll just say that halfway into the novel Harper Lee shocked me with a revelation I never could have anticipated. I have never been so angry at an author in all my born days. HOW COULD SHE BE SO CRUEL?
Through anger and tears, I tore through the remaining half of the novel. As I read, I realized that Lee’s scheme was brilliant… I was experiencing the emotions that Scout was feeling: confusion, betrayal, cynicism, and disbelief at everything I held dear.
In a way, yes, this book ruined To Kill A Mockingbird forever. I can no longer go back and read TKAM with the same innocent hope that I used to read it with.
However, Harper Lee didn’t ruin one of the most important novels of the 20th century without reason. She offers a very clear and very important lesson to learn.
As a stand alone novel, Go Set A Watchman would be nothing. The dialog is not very believable and the prose are unpolished. However, if you, like me, grew up reading To Kill A Mockingbird, then Go Set A Watchman will punch you in the face. It will teach you a lesson you might never learn any other way.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Harper Lee uses the emotional attachment people have for her first novel to reveal a new truth, a deeper and harder to bear truth.
So read and enjoy TKAM alone first. Maybe read it three times. Digest it. Enjoy it. Suck every bit of truth out of it. Once you are finished, go ahead and read Go Set A Watchman to explore an even more complex, even messier side of humanity.
Go Set A Watchman is not the masterpiece of literature that To Kill A Mockingbird was and still is. But, it holds a lesson just as important. When you are ready to grow up a lil right next to Jean Louise Finch, I would say, give it a read.
In the end, I’m glad I read it.
Now, since I am still coping with the blow this book gave me, I would love to know your thoughts. Have you read it yet? Can we start a support group for struggling readers?
Originally published at miss-adventure.com on August 5, 2015.
