Harper Lee, author of the universally acclaimed novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, once said that she would never publish another book because “once you’re at the top, you can only go down.” However, this could prove to be untrue as publishing company HarperCollins announced that her second novel, which was written in the 1950s, will be released on July 14th.
Although it was completed earlier, “Go Set a Watchman” is essentially a continuation to “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which depicts Southern life in the 1930s through the eyes of young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. Captivated by Scout’s flashbacks to her childhood in the original manuscript, Lee’s editor persuaded her to write a new novel entirely from a young Scout’s point of view.
“I was a first-time writer,” Lee said in a statement, “So I did what I was told.” “Watchman” which was recently discovered by Lee’s lawyer and friend, Tonja Carter, is set 20 years later in the same fictional town, Maycomb, Alabama, as Scout returns to visit her aging father, Atticus. Lee told publishers that she thought the original “Watchman” manuscript had been lost or destroyed. At first, Lee was skeptical to share
the rediscovered manuscript with others, but “after much thought and hesitation,” she decided to share with a few of her most trusted friends and was delighted to hear they deemed it worthy of publication.
Occasionally, Lee would address to the media why she had no plans for releasing a second book. A private person, she has said that she found the publicity surrounding “Mockingbird” overwhelming, and that she said all she needed to say in that single piece of literary.
Some critics are concerned with the amount of success the new novel will earn compared to the 1960 classic. Receiving huge critical and commercial success, the Pulitzer Prize, and selling over 30 million copies worldwide, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a best-seller and American literary masterpiece. However, with the release of her debut novel also came a hunger for more from readers of the beloved classic.
Michael Morrison, president and publisher of HarperCollins U.S. General Books Group and Canada, expressed his feelings on the upcoming sequel.
“I, along with millions of others around the world, always wished that Harper Lee had written another book. And what a brilliant book this is.”
Others, like Charles J. Shields, author of a biography about Lee, revealed his doubt that the new novel would not hold up against “Mockingbird.”
He stated, “We’re going to see what Harper Lee writes like without a strong editor’s hand, when she’s, quite honestly, an amateur. It’s going to be very interesting to see how original it is. A lot was taken from ‘Go Set a Watchman’ for ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ and maybe those are the best parts.”
Lee, 88, suffered from a stroke eight years ago which left her blind and deaf, and is in very good spirits regarding the upcoming release of “Go Set a Watchman.” And for millions of “Mockingbird” fans around the world, July 14th couldn’t come any sooner.