GSW review P1

Go Set a Watchman Audible Chp 1-5

First impressions: Average

First impulse/reaction: Dramatise it.

 

Go Set a Watchman (GSW) is a text that lends itself to dramatisation, even  when it's restricted to aural. That in a way reflects how much it is a sibling of To Kill a Mockingbird (TKM). That is why TKM translates so well to screen.

Ok, first things first. I love the occasional Southern twang and I like Reese Witherspoon as much as I like most American actresses. Thing is she is no Scout. And I miss the real "voice" of Scout, the one that comes through the words on the page. Ms Witherspoon made a good effort but didn't hit the mark.  

Chapter 1 was probably a shock for most TKM fans with the news of the death of Jem. The tone that readers are accustomed to in the TKM returns mostly from Chapters 2 onwards. Dill makes a nice return in Chapter 4 as do the Cunninghams.  

For all the advice about pretending not to know a thing about TKM when reading GSW. It’s not possible. Let’s just put it this way, unless you’ve never read TKM before the release of GSW, you already know the story. In fact, I would argue that knowing the narrative of TKM helps one understand the nature and clash of memories and the present. People change and the past is no guarantee of the present or future. So far, Chapter 4 comes closest to reflecting the childhood reflection and tone of TKM’s section on the summer of fun enjoyed by Jem, Dill and Scout.  

If TKM exposed the hypocrisies and paradoxes of small Southern town life as well as the inadequacies of the law as it was practised, GSW reflects the ironies of religion again as practised.

That said humour is well and alive.The “meeting” with the preacher and his wife was hilarious and very much the Scout of TKM.  And despite all the sophisticated thoughts, some things don’t change easy.

Rating: 3*

Looking forward to: More Scout and Henry