I’m sad to say it but I really found this book quite infuriating. It confused, annoyed and kind of bummed me out. I have enjoyed To kill a mockingbird the few times I’ve read it, but I’ve never idolised it to the extent that many people have. So my disappointment is not because my admiration for the main characters has suddenly been crushed, though Scout and Atticus have certainly grown much less likeable. It’s not even because of the ‘of its time’ racism, though that did also make me uncomfortable. I suppose a large part of it has to do with how much this novel was publicised and the mystery and confusion surrounding its publication. I was so excited to finally read it, that it seems inevitable now; of course it wasn’t going to live up to expectations.
And yet I still recommend you read it. It is interesting as
a counterpoint to Mockingbird and Scout (or Jean Louise) does retain some of
her spunky wit, at the beginning anyway before she becomes rather hysterical.
It really is a very odd novel, but I have not been able to stop thinking about it.
