Heather Ogilvie – Go Set a Watchman
Go Set a Watchman is a novel written by Harper Lee before the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960, and before the author and book were catapulted into the fickle Literary Hall of Fame or the mythical Hallowed Heart Society of Readers. The story is set again in Maycomb, AL, twenty years after the trial of Tom Robinson. Scout, now Jean Louise Finch, is 26, a bit sophisticated, with a New York edge. Atticus is 72, sharp of wit and bent with arthritis. Jem has (gasp) passed away. Jean Louise discovers her father, personal hero, and moral compass, is a practicing racist.
In Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee is learning to write, having chosen to practice dialogue by writing an impassioned defense of racism as a practical alternative, among the gentry, to the acceptance of radical change. The great bulk of argument is delivered with peculiar intensity by Jean Louise, an angry non-believer.
Fortunately, this doesn’t happen often in our reading life. You read a book like To Kill a Mockingbird that blows you away. Your childhood is rocked off its foundations. Years later, a sketchy street vendor with a slick delivery offers you a peek at the GSAW manuscript. Want to see what might have happened instead? Want to see what the writer was thinking??? After this, would you feel the same about To Kill A Mockingbird? Would you ever want to be THAT girl again? Would you want that dad? And dear JEM!!! Can you unread anything in life?
I imagine an editor, manuscript in hand, urging Harper Lee to revisit The Elements of Style, omit the needless words, and, please, find the real story. I feel as if I am grading the work of a promising student. I slash the paper with red ink, crossing out the words, and scrawling in the margin, “Start again! You have an amazing story to tell.” How fortunate for us all that the writer did, indeed, toss the original, and write a splendid tale of unbridled naiveté and intrepid spirit. I like to think Go Set a Watchman was published, not to capitalize with shameless abandon on the legacy of an author now removed from the decision-making process, but rather to celebrate the magnificence and Golden Age of the twentieth century editor.
ABOUT HEATHER OGILVIE
Heather Ogilvie is the Branch Manager of the Panama City Beach Library. A native of Maine, formerly a flute player, mountain climber, sailor, teacher, and nurse, Heather now enjoys living by the exquisite waters of St. Andrews Bay and orchestrating the wild rumpus of a public library. Books are the center of attention and opinions are rampant. With a lifelong goal of reading every single book, failure is certain, but the journey is delightful. If you wish to join a book discussion, Beach Book Club meets the first Wednesday of every month at 10:30 a.m. at the Panama City Beach Library.