Go Set a Watchman: A Novel by Harper Lee | Summary & Analysis

Go Set a Watchman: A Novel by Harper Lee | Summary & Analysis

Go Set a Watchman is a novel by Harper Lee published on July 14, 2015, by HarperCollins in the United States and William Heinemann in the United Kingdom. Although publicized as a sequel, it is actually the first draft (Lee herself referred to it as the "parent") of her first and only other published novel, the Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). The title comes from Isaiah 21:6: "For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth." It alludes to Jean Louise Finch's view of her father, Atticus Finch, as the moral compass ("watchman") of Maycomb, and has a theme of disillusionment, as she realizes the extent of the bigotry in her home community.

The book's unexpected and controversial discovery, decades after it was written, together with the exceptional renown of the author's only other book, an American classic, caused its publication to be highly anticipated; Amazon stated that it was their "most pre-ordered book" since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007, and stores arranged all-night openings from midnight to cope with expected demand.
 
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