I swear to God this is the same illustrator who did "The Silent Age."
His bulging muscles glistening in the moonlight, Atticus wiped away the sweat from his brow and cocked the gun he once used to kill a rabid dog with. "The night is quiet...TOO quiet," he thought to himself, and with a hearty rolled cigarette clenched between his teeth, his eyes narrowed into slits - as he searched the night for more of those troublesome vampires. "First it was the zombies, and then it was those damn North Koreans," Atticus muttered, his face illuminated by his menthol's hot red glow. "And then came the aliens - Pleideans, old Ike called them - and after that, the CHUDS. And then after that the whole damn town got overrun by those poofy Too Wong Foo fellas. Holcomb-and-getcha', they called their act. And what kind of man drinks a Yager Cosmopolitan? Kinda' makes you wonder if the Confederate flag means anything at all anymore...?"
Lightning flashed as the thunder clouds rolled in suddenly. It was a dark and stormy night after all. In a heartbeat, the air went from thick and humid to hot, wet, and sticky. A wolf howled in the distance as sharp sheets of rain pounded the ground like an angry gorilla, a noise as loud as a truck full of pigs crashing into a concrete embankment - and plying the pavement with pork. But the night was still too quiet in the old lawyer's ears, and when the first fang'r popped up like a Whak-a-Mole, he...was...ready.
A second heartbeat later, Atticus sprayed the veranda with lead.
(Nervously clearing my throat.)
You know, with all the hoopla surrounding Go Set A Watchman's release tomorrow, wouldn't it be funny if the book was just...BAD?
Lightning flashed as the thunder clouds rolled in suddenly. It was a dark and stormy night after all. In a heartbeat, the air went from thick and humid to hot, wet, and sticky. A wolf howled in the distance as sharp sheets of rain pounded the ground like an angry gorilla, a noise as loud as a truck full of pigs crashing into a concrete embankment - and plying the pavement with pork. But the night was still too quiet in the old lawyer's ears, and when the first fang'r popped up like a Whak-a-Mole, he...was...ready.
A second heartbeat later, Atticus sprayed the veranda with lead.
(Nervously clearing my throat.)
You know, with all the hoopla surrounding Go Set A Watchman's release tomorrow, wouldn't it be funny if the book was just...BAD?
I'll admit that it's hard not to get just a little excited over the discovery of Harper Lee's long-lost first book. I mean, between her published book, movie, and Pulitzer Prize, To Kill a Mockingbird still remains the very definition of the great American novel - a lit class requirement for almost 40 years. But even more than just being a candid historical read, TKAM has held our attention because of what became of Harper Lee, herself. The author became a recluse. With the exception of accompanying Capote to Holcomb - and spending a few weeks on Gregory Peck's movie set - Lee completely retreated from the public eye, and never wrote another thing of consequence.
Obviously, Lee's insistence for privacy has created an aura of mystery that's fueled To Kill a Mockingbird's longevity. "Why did Harper Lee stop writing?" we wondered. "Like Finding Forrester, was it really her intention to stop after a single book?" Author Charles J. Shields published a 2006 biography of Lee entitled Mockingbird, but as Lee declined to participate in the project (all of Shields' sources were Lee's friends/acquaintances), the biography offers more in third-party anecdotes than it does in concrete answers. Harper Lee stopped granting interviews in 1965, so for the last four decades, her readers have been left no choice but to speculate - leading to the preposterous rumor that Capote (not Lee) was TKAM's true author. From what we've learned about Capote's true character, I find it far more plausible that he helped Harper Lee write, rather than doing the writing for her. It's hard to believe that someone with Capote's ego would have been able to keep his ghost-writing a secret while inhaling lines with Halsten at Studio 54. No, TKAM is definitely Harper Lee's creation all right, albeit with some very-likely late-night Holcomb motel editing.
Obviously, Lee's insistence for privacy has created an aura of mystery that's fueled To Kill a Mockingbird's longevity. "Why did Harper Lee stop writing?" we wondered. "Like Finding Forrester, was it really her intention to stop after a single book?" Author Charles J. Shields published a 2006 biography of Lee entitled Mockingbird, but as Lee declined to participate in the project (all of Shields' sources were Lee's friends/acquaintances), the biography offers more in third-party anecdotes than it does in concrete answers. Harper Lee stopped granting interviews in 1965, so for the last four decades, her readers have been left no choice but to speculate - leading to the preposterous rumor that Capote (not Lee) was TKAM's true author. From what we've learned about Capote's true character, I find it far more plausible that he helped Harper Lee write, rather than doing the writing for her. It's hard to believe that someone with Capote's ego would have been able to keep his ghost-writing a secret while inhaling lines with Halsten at Studio 54. No, TKAM is definitely Harper Lee's creation all right, albeit with some very-likely late-night Holcomb motel editing.
Capote & Lee But getting back to topic, Capote wasn't around to EDIT Go Set a Watchman. And judging from the first chapter posted online by The Guardian last week, nobody else was there either. GSAW bares the telltale signs of a talented young author who hadn't quite hit her creative stride - but was very close to doing so. I read the first chapter this morning. And before I go further, please know that I'm not slamming the book. GSAW's opening pages proved a tough read even by 1950s standards - where even the best books tended towards sluggish beginnings. Well, maybe not Peyton Place...
Go Set a Watchman opens with a slow train ride that seems to set the tone for what's to come. When we first meet Jean Louise Finch, she's staring out a passenger window, watching the passing rural landscape and remembering numerous backstories that only seem to remind everyone how dull long train rides can be. Chapter One takes the reader on a lengthy expositional adventure, thumbing its nose at grabbing a reader's interest early on. Highlights include:
Again, I'm not being snotty. Harper Lee is an amazing writer, and To Kill a Mockingbird is an amazing book. But almost no author hits a grand slam with their first project, and there was clearly a reason that Go Set a Watchman was passed on by its publisher. And remember: Lee's publisher didn't just flat-out reject the book. He clearly saw "potential" within the story, and on his advice Lee returned with a better project. And that was the story that went on to win the Pulitzer. Even Michael Crichton was smart enough to leave Pirate Latitudes in his desk once he realized the raptors would eat Captain Phillips alive.
Go Set a Watchman opens with a slow train ride that seems to set the tone for what's to come. When we first meet Jean Louise Finch, she's staring out a passenger window, watching the passing rural landscape and remembering numerous backstories that only seem to remind everyone how dull long train rides can be. Chapter One takes the reader on a lengthy expositional adventure, thumbing its nose at grabbing a reader's interest early on. Highlights include:
- Scout drinks a cup of coffee with breakfast.
- Scout reflects on reading the instructional signs on the walls of her sleeping compartment.
- A lengthy paragraph describing the backstory of a thin book of poetry, kept on somebody's coffee table.
- Scout drinks more coffee.
- A hearty paragraph-long description of Maycomb, written in the style of a County Land Survey.
- Whoops - make that three paragraphs.
- Scout's a decent tipper.
Again, I'm not being snotty. Harper Lee is an amazing writer, and To Kill a Mockingbird is an amazing book. But almost no author hits a grand slam with their first project, and there was clearly a reason that Go Set a Watchman was passed on by its publisher. And remember: Lee's publisher didn't just flat-out reject the book. He clearly saw "potential" within the story, and on his advice Lee returned with a better project. And that was the story that went on to win the Pulitzer. Even Michael Crichton was smart enough to leave Pirate Latitudes in his desk once he realized the raptors would eat Captain Phillips alive.
You know, despite how all this might sound, I really have no problem with Go Set a Watchman being published fifty years after the fact. Despite all its flaws - and the fact that it's being packaged without the basic editing that's required for modern novels - the book will be an incredible backstory to one of the greatest American novels ever written. But the current marketing of GSAW is unfair to both author and reader. GSAW is not a sequel, no does it have TKAM's polish. And presenting it as such creates impossibly high expectations that are already causing harsh reviews. I can't help but think that the elderly Lee has been taken advantage of, like a family of losers circling a rich dying aunt. We've all heard the stories about Lee's recent battle with unscrupulous lawyers, and news of a possible "third" unpublished manuscript just hit CNN a few hours ago. This whole celebration - and midnight release, like a new Harry Potter - has the same Casey Kasem taste of very bad people taking advantage of someone beloved. I hope that's not the case of course, but when one watches all the hype...
I guess all we can do now is just wait and see how all this unfolds. Fingers crossed, Ms. Harper Lee. And your true fans will never forget that at the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, you chose to allow Boo Radley his privacy.
And by "privacy," I mean his dignity.
I guess all we can do now is just wait and see how all this unfolds. Fingers crossed, Ms. Harper Lee. And your true fans will never forget that at the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, you chose to allow Boo Radley his privacy.
And by "privacy," I mean his dignity.