When I heard that there was a sequel (or prequel seeing as it was supposedly written before) of to Kill A Mockingbird, I could not wait to read it. To kill a mockingbird is one of my absolute favourite books which meant I had high hopes for the second book but maybe that was part of the problem because I did not like Go Set A Watchman. I didn't like it to the point that I couldn't finish the book.
It's rare for me to not like a book and even rarer for me to be unable to finish one. In my whole life, I think there's only been 3 books which I've not finished but this book is for sure the one I'm saddest about not finishing.
So, why did I not like the book? For starters, it was a really slow starter. Nothing really happens a part from Scout returning home for the weekend. Don't get me wrong, it's probably a key part to the story (I wouldn't really know, I didn't get far enough) but I read a fair amount of the book and for that to be the only key thing to be happening in the present moment, it's not a lot.
Speaking of "present moment", this is another issue I have with the book. I found that the tenses kept changing and it wasn't very clear why. Sometimes there would be a flashback but the way it was integrated into the rest of the story just didn't work.
The use of the pronoun her also really annoyed me, mainly because you didn't always know who her or she was. Was it Scout or was in Calpurnia? Or was it some other female character who wasn't properly introduced?
Improperly introduced characters was probably my biggest peeve with the book. There were some characters who were introduced with one name but then their nickname (?) would be used, even though that hadn't been explained. I'm still not 100% sure if it was their nickname or if it was a complete other character.
All in all, the book really disappointed me. It lacked structure and imagination and the characters seemed incredibly flat.
If you've read Go Set A Watchman, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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