The Real Danger of Harper Lee’s New Novel

When I first heard that Go Set A Watchman was being released, I had the same thought I had when I hear that any famous author is releasing a sequel to a successful novel …

This could be dangerous.

The more I read about the circumstances of Go Set A Watchman being “discovered” and coming to be published, the more uncomfortable I felt about throwing my $13.99 pre-order fee into the mix.

However.

As many have said, the release of a new Harper Lee book – and indeed one that was the original manuscript from which To Kill A Mockingbird ultimately derived – is truly a “literary event”. And since all books are published to make money, who was I to question the circumstances surrounding this one?

True, Harper Lee is 89 years old, and some have argued that her caregiver took advantage of her just a few months after her older sister – and previous gatekeeper – passed away. The State of Alabama investigated these claims as potential elder abuse, and dismissed them. At least one family friend, Wayne Flint – who has actually spoken with and met with Ms. Lee in the past few months – has gone on record saying Ms. Lee is perfectly competent to have approved the publication.

Notably, one interviewee in the Alabama state investigation who raised concerns about Harper Lee’s lucidity is Marja Mills, a writer who rented a home next door to Ms. Lee and her older sister, and then wrote a book about them – a book that was firmly denounced by Harper Lee last year as “unauthorized.” Marja Mills’ motives could indeed be questioned.

Of course, in her letter denouncing Ms. Mills’ book last year, Harper Lee wrote: “Rest assured, as long as I am alive any book purporting to be with my cooperation is a falsehood.”

Uh oh.

Ultimately, I’m not sure the real danger of Harper Lee’s new novel is the controversy surrounding who will profit from this book. True, Harper Lee is not really in a position to enjoy the fruits of her labor. But what about post-humously published books? What about unfair book deals in which the publisher – and not the author – stands to make the real profit? What about the fact that I’m not sure J.K. Rowling will ever really be able to spend all her money either, and I had no problem buying multiple copies of each of her hard-cover editions. Never did I question – now who is really profiting from my purchase of The Sorcerer’s Stone?

No. I think the real danger here, is that, we, like petulant children, have been begging Harper Lee for decades to please tell us. Please tell us what happened next. What happened to Atticus Finch? And Scout? And Jem?

We are not content with our thoughts, our interpretations, our thesis papers – we need more. We need YOUR take. Ms. Lee. We need to hear it straight from the author.

Whenever I go to a Book Club or do an interview to discuss my own novel, the most popular questions I am asked are:

Tell us about your writing process.

Tell us about what YOU think happened in the end.

And the truth is: these are dangerous questions. Because my writing process – my interpretations – my thoughts – they might intrude upon YOURS.

Before we ask an author – especially an author as beloved and remarkable as Harper Lee – what she was thinking – we better be sure we really want to hear the answer. Because now we have. And well, I think that might be the real danger of Go Set a Watchman having been published.

In many ways, Go Set a Watchman is like a time capsule. A story of the emergence of the American civil rights movement in the south written by a southern woman as it was actually unfolding. Without the benefit of decades of hindsight. Without knowing that in 2015, we would still be arguing about whether the confederate flag should fly on government premises as a sign of STATES’ RIGHTS or whether it is simply a sign of BIGOTRY. Thank you very much.

Fascinating.

It’s a look into what might have happened to Atticus Finch after the most notable trial of his career.

A revelation that originally – and in the end – the actual author of To Kill of Mockingbird believed Atticus Finch – – indeed WROTE Atticus Finch as a man who, throughout his life, and notwithstanding his sense of justice and law, was a man who was still struggling with the time. Struggling with the new south. Struggling with his bigotry and notion of states’ rights.

In Go Set a Watchman – written before the finished version of To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch’s now 20-something year old daughter struggles violently with the realization that Atticus Finch wasn’t a deity. He wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t a reason to study law or the final arbiter of justice and equal rights for all.

It’s our struggle, too. As we read the book that reveals for the first time Harper Lee’s answers to our persistent questions all those years.

Maybe – the Atticus Finch of To Kill A Mockingbird was – you know, just a human.

No – more shocking than that.

Maybe he was not human at all.

Maybe – he was..

Pure.Fiction..

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Amy Impellizzeri is a reformed corporate litigator, former start-up executive, and award-winning author. Amy’s first novel, Lemongrass Hope (Wyatt-MacKenzie 2014) , was a 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Bronze Winner (Romance) and a National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist. A favorite with bloggers and book clubs, Lemongrass Hope was named the #1 reviewed book in 2014 by blogger, The Literary Connoisseur.

Amy is also the author of the non-fiction book, Lawyer Interrupted (ABA Publishing 2015), and numerous essays and articles that have appeared in online and print journals including: The Huffington Post, ABA Law Practice Today, The Glass Hammer, Divine Caroline, Skirt! Magazine, and more.

Amy is a Tall Poppy Writer and a volunteer for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and one energetic weimaraner, where she is currently hard at work on her next novel, Secrets of Worry Dolls.

Tags: featured, Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing