'Go Set a Watchman' - Harper Lee

The release of Go Set a Watchman has caused one hell of a stir in the literary world. The controversy surrounding its release is  never ending and hard to accept. A second novel by Harper Lee, after the success of To Kill a Mockingbird, has been hotly anticipated for decades, but slowly people started to believe that Lee's first novel would stand alone. The announcement in February of this year that a second manuscript had been found, one written before To Kill a Mockingbird, caused a tidal wave of excitement globally. Fans of Harper Lee, including myself, were marvelling at how this manuscript had finally been discovered and we could again enjoy the immense talent of a woman not afraid to talk politics and morals.

However, people began to question how the discovery came about. It is said to be the novel Lee first sent to publishers, but was rejected with demands for changes to be made. From this rejection came To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel narrated by a six year old girl, Scout, living in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. She tells the story of her father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer defending Tom Robinson, a black man who has been falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a young white girl. Despite evidence to the contrary, Robinson is convicted of the rape by twelve white men who fail to see past the colour of his skin. Atticus still reveals the truth, of how Mayella's father, Bob, found out that she had made sexual advances towards Robinson and beat her out of anger and disgrace. Furious at their father for revealing this truth, Bob attacks Scout and her older brother Jem, only for them to be saved by a town recluse Boo Radley, who has been attempting to befriend Scout throughout the novel.

To Kill a Mockingbird changed Lee's life, though arguably not for the better. Born Nelle Harper Lee in 1926, she grew up in Monroeville, Alabama, a place that bears a strong resemblance to the Maycomb she writes about. Atticus Finch is believed to be based on her own father, lawyer Amasa Coleman Lee, and the surname Fitch is her mother Frances' maiden name, though there is no character directly based on her mother in the book. Lee attempted to follow in her father's footsteps, like her sister Miss Alice, and attended law school. However, before completing the course, she went to live in New York where she was given an incredible opportunity by friends Michael and Joy Brown. They funded her whilst she achieved her dream of writing a novel. To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 with huge success, going on to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1961. There were claims years later by fellow author and supposed friend Truman Capote that he was the real author of Mockingbird, but the discovery of the latest manuscript seems to put these claims to rest.

The success of To Kill a Mockingbird was an incredible achievement for Lee, but it also led her into the public eye, something that she was not entirely comfortable with. It has been suggested that fame is what prevented Lee from writing another novel after Mockingbird, in case it changed the way that she wrote or the truth that she spoke. She turned into a recluse, refusing to give interviews, instead leaving statements to her sister and lawyer, Miss Alice. This is where the mystery over the manuscript begins to set it. Following the death of Miss Alice last year at the age of 103, Tonja Carter took over as Lee's lawyer. Carter is the one who claims to have discovered the manuscript and sent it for publication, saying that Harper Lee had given her approval. There are some, however, who doubt this. At the age of 89, Lee is partially blind as well as partially deaf, and according to a few of those in Monroeville, not of sound mind. A recent article in The Sunday Times Magazine by Tanya Gold reports that Lee is thought by the town to be "the puppet of an interloper called Tonja Carter". To add to the controversy, it is alleged that the manuscript was actually discovered three years ago, before the death of Miss Alice, who would probably have never allowed the manuscript to be published.

Despite the conflict over its release, Go Set a Watchman was released on the 14th July. The question is no longer about its discovery, but wondering whether it will live up to the hype of Lee's first success. The day of its release saw hundreds of people queuing up at bookshops throughout the night across the globe, with 7,000 copies alone being delivered for sale at the local bookshops in Lee's hometown. The media began printing its reviews of the much anticipated book, the novel Lee herself calls the "parent' of Mockingbird, and the critics have not been kind. If I am being honest, they have been most unfair. Go Set a Watchman is the novel that was never meant to be released. Harper Lee's editor managed to help Harper Lee transform this original reject into the masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird, with the original becoming nothing but a draft. However, the critics are treating Go Set a Watchman as a brand new work by Lee, and are crushing it with two-star reviews and tales of disappointment. I wholeheartedly disagree.

Go Set a Watchman is set after Mockingbird, when Jean Louise is twenty-six-years-old and is no longer known by her childhood, and infamous, name Scout, and her brother Jem has died from a heart attack. Now living in New York City, she returns to Maycomb to visit her father, Atticus and her oldest childhood friend and potential suitor Henry. However, rather than her standard visit home, she finds herself forced to grow up as she discovers her father  and Henry are part of a Citizen's Council with the intent of keeping negroes unequal and inferior. Her world comes crashing down as her father, the man she held in such high regard as being as close to perfect as a man could be suddenly becomes human, and her eyes are opened to the real world. Jean Louise has always been colour blind to a person's race, believing in inequality for all, something she believed Atticus had taught her. She finds herself failing to understand her father's reasons, and questioning whether Henry is really the man for her.

The critics are claiming Harper Lee has destroyed the Atticus Finch we first met in To Kill a Mockingbird, but I argue the opposite. He is no bigot; he is a reasonable man who understands the world far better than his daughter, and he has his reasons for being involved in such a council. It is an incredibly insightful novel, and confirms Lee as an Alabama woman ahead of her time. It includes anecdotes from Jean Louise's childhood, reminding the reader why they loved her, and it is easy to see why Lee's editor chose to use Scout's voice for To Kill a Mockingbird. The story and the dialogue remain to be strong and I found it an incredible easy book to read, if not at times an emotional one. Go Set a Watchman is the reality behind To Kill a Mockingbird, the honesty Harper Lee first wanted to express about Alabama but was denied the chance. It is the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts.

'The Bone Clocks' - David Mitchell

David Mitchell has lived an enviable life. Born in Merseyside, raised in Worcestershire, and graduating from the University of Kent, Mitchell had already started moving from place to place. He went on to live in Sicily, Italy before moving to Hiroshima, Japan where he apparently found his niche as a writer. He has since written six successful novels and has been listed by TIME magazine in 2007 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. The latest of these novels to appear in paperback is The Bone Clocks. Long listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2014, it has already made its mark, adding to Mitchell's reputation as a respectable and admirable author.

The plot is rather like Mitchell's life in that it goes from place to place, following the life of Holly Sykes. Starting in 1984 when Holly is only fifteen years old, it begins from her point of view as she storms out of her home to live with her boyfriend, only to find out that he is cheating on her. Refusing to admit that her mother was right, she decides to stay away from home for at least a few days, with devastating consequences. Her little brother Jacko goes missing, with everyone believing he went in search of his sister, including Holly who blames herself for his disappearance. However, there is more that lies beneath the surface; Holly begins to have visions of another world in which a promise to an old woman could come back to haunt her and there are hints that Jacko could be involved.

 The story then skips seven years ahead to what appears to be a whole new story. We meet Hugo Lamb, an intelligent but pretentious student at the University of Cambridge. He is devious and repugnant, deceiving even his friends whilst thinking only of himself. During a skiing holiday to the French Alps, he meets Holly Sykes, and he falls in love, something he has never felt before. It would seem it starts to change him for the better, until he is given a life-changing decision that is impossible to refuse, a decision possibly linked to the other world Holly herself has glimpsed. Following this, there is yet another jump in time to 2004, in which Ed Brubeck becomes the focus of Mitchell's writing. Ed has a little girl with Holly but is struggling to accept his responsibility as a father, being a self-confessed "war-zone junkie" since his role as a war reporter.He finds himself having to choose between returning to Baghdad where his life will be in constant danger or staying with his family. We can only assume his decision before the narrative switches AGAIN to Crispin Hershey, an author who at first appears more detestable than Hugo Lamb but who becomes one of Holly's closest friends, meeting her in Australia before travelling to Shanghai and Iceland with her to book events as she herself as become a famous author.

The next switch in narrative is where the story truly continues from where Holly's narrative left off. We finally learn about the other world and the war that is occurring between the Horologists and the Anchorites. This is in 2025, when the final battle takes place, in which Holly joins the Horologists on their quest against the evil Anchorites. I will not reveal the outcome of this battle, partly because I still do not know the whole of it despite finishing the book, and the final section of the book comes full circle back to Holly. She is now an old woman living in Ireland in 2043, in a world that has become damaged by global warming and the lack of oil. It feels as though David Mitchell is using the end of this book as a lecture to those who take unlimited electricity, food, water and internet for granted. It is a lecture to those who are not attempting to cut back on their luxuries to save the planet, and it is a warning of what could happen if we choose not to; a possibility of the world our grandchildren will live in. 

For me, The Bone Clocks is too many different things. Mitchell could have written at least five books from all the stories that are happening throughout each section. Unfortunately, most of them seem to play no major part in the actual story The Bone Clocks is about. The Horologists and the Anchorites barely appear at all until you are two-thirds through the book, and it is all thrown at you at once. This particular part reminds me of Intruders, a BBC drama last year starring John Simm, a programme I found genuinely interesting, and if Mitchell had stuck to the war between the two kinds I would be praising this book for its imaginative plot and viewing it almost as an adult version of Harry Potter. Instead, I am dismissing it as an excuse for Mitchell to show off his vast knowledge on a variety of subjects, and to perhaps share his views on conservationism. There lies politics amongst the fantasy Mitchell is writing, and it seems to ruin what could have been an addictive novel. Too much of the book seems pointless and most of it could have been cut entirely. It is incredibly disappointing. There were so many times that Mitchell enticed me in, only to change the subject in the next section.

For those looking to read The Bone Clocks simply because it is a bestseller at the moment or in the Waterstones Book Club, think twice. Reading this novel requires patience, and I was glad when I reached the last page, a rarity for me as I usually miss the characters and the story. However, rather than being intrigued by the unanswered questions, I was annoyed and felt as though my time had been wasted. Do not waste yours.

'The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair' - Joël Dicker

The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair has been a huge success. Originally in French, it has been translated into over thirty different languages, one of which is thankfully English. La Vérité sur l’Affaire Harry Quebert won the Grand Prix du Roman de l'Academie Francaise 2012, an incredible achievement for 29 year-old Joël Dicker. Born in Geneva, Switzerland, his native tongue is French, but the inspiration for his novel is New Hampshire, a place he spent most summer holidays as a child. It is said that, when looking to write a book, you should always write about what you know, and it is clear when reading Dicker's book why he chose to write about New Hampshire rather than Geneva; his passion for and knowledge of his holiday home is obvious throughout, as well as clearly being a place of natural beauty. It could also be said that the main character in the book might be a little of writing about what you know, but that may well be just coincidence.

Young author Marcus Goldman struggles with writer's block following the huge success of his first published novel. In an effort to conquer it, he turns to Harry Quebert, his former college professor and close friend, for inspiration. Whilst staying at Quebert's home in Somerset, New Hampshire, Goldman discovers a love affair Quebert had when he was 33-years-old with a 15-year-old girl, Nola Kellergan. Harry reveals that the girl went missing that summer of 1975, and has not been found since; that is until a few weeks later. At the same time Goldman is facing a lawsuit by his publisher if he does not have a second novel finished by the deadline, Quebert is arrested after Nola's body is found buried in his back garden with a copy of the manuscript of his most successful novel. The solution for both of these comes to Goldman; write a novel about the case whilst solving it and proving Harry's innocence.

This novel could technically be called crime, but there's something about the way it's written that makes it feel wrong to call it that. It's so far from the dark streets of Oslo portrayed by Jo Nesbo or a deep psychological thriller such as Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Its setting is beautiful, despite its subject matter being the death of a fifteen-year-old girl. It seems more like an episode of Murder, She Wrote, with the writer detective, the quaint little seaside town and a mystery to be solved with the help of the local detective. Maybe this is a little of what made me love this book so much, and wonder if I will read a better one this year. Usually it takes me the first chapter to really get into a book, or at least the first few pages, but this book really did have me from the start; I'm not sure how or why, but it did. And I just love a good murder mystery!

Like with any good murder mystery, The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair keeps you guessing, with red herrings making the puzzle even more difficult to place together, but it's enjoyable. Dicker clearly has a real skill for weaving this puzzle, giving you the pieces bit by bit. The ending could be said to be a little rushed, with a lot of information being thrown at you at once, but it's information that you lap up greedily as Dicker has kept you in suspense for so long. The twists he throws in are mostly unexpected, with the last one being the biggest (I think) and the most unexpected of all - and it's not even about the murderer! Dicker wrote about a young author with a best selling novel and in doing so became a young author with a best selling novel. Some people have it all, and in this case, I couldn't be happier for him - as long as he writes another novel like this and doesn't suffer from the writer's disease!

'How to Build a Girl' - Caitlin Moran

How to Build a Girl is not what I expected at all. It appeared, from the blurb, to be very much a coming-of-age novel, like The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky or The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. However, Caitlin Moran has written a book with a character who is a far cry from Charlie and Holden Caulfield, and who has many resemblances to Moran herself, though she is clear to state before the story begins that "...Johanna is not me." Moran grew up in Wolverhampton on a council estate with her seven siblings, with an aspiring rock star for a father who suffered from osteoarthritis. She has been winning awards and making waves with her writing since she was thirteen years old, becoming a journalist for a music magazine at sixteen and now being a popular columnist at The Times. As well as winning awards, she is also accountable for unprecedented sales of a feminist tea towel, being a proud feminist and civil rights activist, something which is apparent to anyone who follows her on Twitter. All proceeds from her merchandise sales go to Refuge, a domestic abuse charity that provides a safe house for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

How to Build a Girl is supposed to be the first of a trilogy of semi-autobiographical books from Moran. The beginning is bold, brash, and entirely fresh. It introduces Johanna Morrigan, a fourteen-year-old girl desperate to grow up and be somebody, but who feels she cannot achieve this by being herself; she has to rebuild herself. Like Moran at that age, Johanna lives on a council estate in Wolverhampton, with her parents and four siblings. Her mother is suffering from post-natal depression and her father is predominantly sofa-bound after an accident at work. She decides that she wants to write to make money for her family, and begins writing reviews and sending them to a music magazine when she is sixteen, taking on a goth persona called Dolly Wilde and mixing with rock stars. Her father plans to use Dolly's job at D&ME magazine to kick start his failed music career, trying to achieve his own dreams through his daughters whilst living in an alcoholic stupor. Caitlin Moran stresses that her parents are nothing like Johanna's parents in the story, even dedicating the book to them as proof. 

There's no avoiding it; the book talks A LOT about sex. This is a big chunk of the book and, unfortunately, it gets a little boring. It's not Fifty Shades of Grey (thankfully!), but it does seem to be the only thing that Johanna thinks about, with it being one of her goals to sleep with as many people as possible.This is one of the bricks in the construction of her new self, but it's DIY SOS as her sexual prowess ends in disaster after disaster. I thought that I was hating this, as I cringed and blushed, but once I had finished the book I realised that I had found every opportunity to read it. With similarities to Moran's own life, the book is very raw and Johanna very honest.

Whether you enjoy the book or not, it is a representation of a certain way of life. Regardless of your class (a topic that seems prevalent throughout), most girls can relate to at least a small part of Johanna Morrigan. Everyone has a Dolly Wilde, a persona used when you need confidence that you don't have. Johanna uses the same line as my old journalism tutor; "Fake it 'til you make it." It's a line that, for me, led from fake confidence to real confidence, and it does the same for Johanna. Moran writes successfully as a fourteen year old girl desperate to grow up, slipping perfectly into the character and maintaining it throughout the entire book, detailing Johanna's growing up in a way that not many experienced authors could. It's an incredibly strong and exuberant story, with something to prove perhaps; it does not avoid the stereotypes of a council estate but instead uses them to show how they can still lead to talent and success, the best example of this being the author herself!

'Mr Mercedes' - Stephen King

Before I start talking about Mr Mercedes, I want to make it clear that this is not a normal review; it's more like a dedication. Firstly, I have absolutely no right to review Stephen King.  With over 50 novels under his belt, many of which have been turned into films and television series, as well as too many awards to count, there's no denying his talent. He even challenges his skill by writing under pseudonyms, most famously Richard Bachman. I have been reading his books since I was in my early teens (basically, when my mum said it was okay) and have always admired him, not just as an author, but as a fellow grammarian. As weird as it sounds, King's novels are always the ones that I turn to as my 'breather novels', the ones that give me a break from reading about the gruesome elements of real life, from aspects of war to life-threatening illnesses. 

Secondly, Mr Mercedes is nothing like any other Stephen King novel. Usually, I'm met with possessed cars, rabid dogs, vampire towns and electricity that can wake the dead; extreme situations that you can convince yourself could never happen in real life (though seem really vivid when you dream about them later!). Mr Mercedes, on the other hand, is a crime novel. A crime novel like no other, of course, but a crime novel nonetheless. Though not fitting into King's typical horror genre, the novel is still frightening, and unfortunately, could definitely happen. Retired detective Bill Hodges is finding life dull and pointless since leaving the force, until a letter arrives that gives him a meaning to live. The letter is from a killer he failed to catch, a man nicknamed Mr Mercedes, who taunts Hodges in the hope that he will commit suicide. The opposite occurs, as Hodges decides to investigate the case again unofficially, putting his life and the lives of others potentially in danger. Though Mr Mercedes, aka Brady Hartsfield, writes that he has no intention to repeat his crime, could he be lying? If he is, can Hodges catch him in time?

There's no denying it; not content with being the king of horror (excuse the pun), Stephen King dominates yet another genre with this novel. Where Joyland was a crime novel with a supernatural twist, Mr Mercedes is pure crime, and it's brilliant. It remains to have King's signature traits; the shameless plugging of fellow authors (which I can't help but appreciate and admire), the subliminally inserted hatred of mobile phones, the numerous mentions of his own various works (which help to bring them to life outside of their pages), and the use of music taste for character building, as well as his own (perhaps slightly twisted) sense of humour creeping in. It is quite obviously a Stephen King novel. 

Despite all of these resemblances to other works by the author, Mr Mercedes is something fresh and altogether different at the same time. Stephen King is known for playing around with various styles of writing, toying with different voices, tenses and experimenting with everybody's worst nightmares. Mr Mercedes is a different sort of nightmare, though; instead of vampires, ghosts and zombies (when the infection is, of course, caused by mobile phones), the nightmare is one that comes particularly as a result of the 9/11 tragedy, one that is far too believable and therefore as equally chilling as any of his horrors. He has taken the mass fear of a person without a conscience killing multiple people in one incident, someone who does not care of the consequences, even if it results in their own death. After all, the common saying goes 'it's not the dead you should fear, it's the living'.

Does Stephen King get away with it? Of course he does. We know who the killer is from the start, but the suspense of catching him is still present, because with King, you never know which will prevail; good or evil. The ending is always a surprise (unless you have gone out and bought the sequel released this week, Finders Keepers) and the characters are always pushed to their limits. It is through King appearing to know his characters as though they are close friends that makes this work so perfectly and I look forward to reading the next instalment. If you love Stephen King, you'll love this.

'Disclaimer' - Renée Knight

Disclaimer became one those great books that becomes impossible to put down and makes you feel a little bereaved when you finish it. It is very hard to believe that it is Renée Knight's debut novel; the narrative is addictively intriguing. Holding you its hostage from the very first page, it is a thriller to the very end.

Married documentary maker Catherine Ravenscroft finds a book in her new home that she does not remember buying, a book that turns out to reveal her deepest secret. Tormented by The Perfect Stranger, she strives to cover up her twenty-year old mistakes, but the author will not stop at just the book. Widower Stephen Brigstocke is determined to take his revenge after finding a manuscript written by his late wife. He is intent on destroying Catherine's relationships with the people she loves the most and the seemingly idealistic life she has created, but not everything is as straightforward as it seems. It is a complicated story of loss and pain, in which both love and trust are put to the test. 

It could be said that the secret is slightly disappointing and not as sinister as you originally expect from the beginning, but you can forgive Knight for this as the rest of the book makes up for it entirely. And don't get me wrong, the twist is still a surprise and the ending far less dark than I anticipated (you can choose whether this is a good thing or not). The writing standard never wavers, and in this way, Disclaimer stops any disappointment from seeping in and ruining what is otherwise a remarkable novel.

Knight has a real talent for making the simple discovery of a book's existence seem like a death threat. She keeps you wondering what Catherine's secret is for most of the book, never losing your interest and without the waffling that can occur from a debut novel. Disclaimer is full of twists and turns that keep you switching your allegiance back and forth between characters; Knight has you wrapped around her little finger and you barely notice, let alone care. And the cherry on the cake? Renée Knight is English, and an author we should be incredibly proud of.

'We Are Called to Rise' - Laura McBride

Every person has probably wondered at least once, out loud or to themselves, whether their lives and their actions make a difference in the bigger picture. The greatest thing about We Are Called to Rise is that in some way, this is answered. It delves into how people who have never even met can have an impact on each other, sometimes with consequences because of the decisions an individual makes. This might make the book sound heavy and philosophical, but Laura McBride presents this information to you in a story that entices you in from the start.

The voices of four different people are written, seemingly with completely separate lives apart from living in Las Vegas until a tragedy occurs combining their stories and leaving them all wondering how much little tragedies matter; '...so little matters so much, and so much matters so little.' The most heartbreaking voice of the four is Bashkim, an eight-year-old boy of an immigrant family, who is so innocent and good. Through his school, he writes letters to a 21-year-old soldier, the second voice, who is in hospital having been flown back from Iraq and whose memories of the war haunt him endlessly. The third voice is a woman whose marriage has just fallen apart, and whose son is also struggling to cope having returned from his third tour in Iraq, with devastating consequences. The final voice is a female volunteer for CASA, though I won't say anymore about her than this; I wouldn't want to ruin the story for you!

McBride takes on a serious challenge switching between these voices, with the differences in age and gender, but she copes perfectly. In fact, she seems to excel with the most difficult one, Bashkim, really bringing his character to life through the pages. Where some books leave you struggling to hop from character to character, she makes it easy and uncomfortable, never leaving it too long between voices, never allowing you to lose the thread. McBride also, through these four different people, presents unique perceptions of Las Vegas, defending it as a home and not just a Strip, perhaps because McBride herself has lived there for two decades. She also seems to have another underlying message, one about war and its potential consequences away from the warzone for the soldiers, how their actions can be affected by their experiences.

The ending should be a disappointment, with some of the loose ends left untied with no neat little bow; you're still left wondering when you run out of pages how all of the characters actually end up, whether they end up happy. But where there should be disappointment, you feel content, perhaps because a fairytale ending would have been too unrealistic for this particular story. Anymore would have been too much, and perhaps would not have been as compelling as it was at its peak. Despite being her debut novel, Laura McBride has clearly mastered many of the techniques experienced authors still struggle with, particularly when to stop whilst you're ahead!