At nearly ninety years old, Harper Lee is considered one of the greatest living authors in the world, even though she’s only written one book — until now.
To Kill a Mockingbird, which Lee released in 1960, won widespread acclaim and a Pulitzer price. The book is regarded as not only great but also important, and its legacy is something Lee has always been careful to preserve.
That’s why her fans and friends are now skeptical of her publisher’s announcement that Lee has decided to publish a second novel (something she’s famously refused to do for a half century).
She wrote Go Set a Watchman in the mid-1950s, before ever beginning work on Mockingbird. She later set that first project aside and reportedly never showed much interest in reviving it until now, well into her eighties.
Fans are so concerned that they’ve filed elder abuse complaints with the state of Alabama, according to The New York Times. In response, state investigators are interviewing Lee, who now resides in an assisted-living facility, to determine whether the decision to publish Watchman was made willingly and with a sound mind.
Those close to the author insist that she’s generally in good mental health, though she has suffered a stroke in the past and reportedly deals with occasional short-term memory loss. The results of the investigation are pending, with Watchman still on track for publication this July.
Regardless of the outcome, it is nice to know that people care enough about Lee’s true intentions to ensure that they’re honored here. Unfortunately, non-celebrity seniors aren’t often afforded the same courtesy.
