Review of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee

 

I first read this when I was a teen and looking to start embarking on reading classics. Having now re-read it ten years later there was SO much that went over my head in the first read, or that I didn't appreciate properly. I was so wrapped up in Jem and Scout's obsession with Boo Radley that all I really remember of the trial the first time around was that I didn't understand all the legal jargon, it was distracting time away from the story I wanted to know more about and I definitely didn't pick up on all the suggestions that her father was the culprit.

To Kill a Mockingbird  is set in a quiet town in the South of the US and revolves around the Finch family. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, lives with his two children Jem and Scout, who are motherless after she passed away. Scout's real name is Jean Louise, but her love for adventuring and ability to be a bit rough around the edges makes Scout a much more appropriate name. The kids are obsessed with Boo Radley: a man whose house they walk past to get to and from school every day, but whom they've never laid eyes on. 

Running parallel to this story is Atticus': he's been asked to defend Tom Robinson, a Black man accused of raping a white teenage girl. Atticus knows from the start that, despite Tom's innocence, Atticus' own skill as a defence attorney and the evidence pointing to the contrary, Tom will likely still get called guilty by the jury.  

The story is all about a loss of innocence in growing up, as well as racism, class, family, friendship and mental health. There's going to be more spoilers in this next bit! Scout and Jem go to the trial and are faced with understanding not only some of the details of the case, but that people's prejudice can ruin lives. They've been brought up to teach everyone with love, and bit by bit as the trial and events around it go on, they have their eyes opened to the fact that the world isn't what they thought it was. 

I had completely forgotten what the trial was about from my first read of the book and I was totally hooked by this. This part of the story is so well written and I felt like Jem and Scout: unable to look away, despite being told that things wouldn't be resolved the way I wanted them to. The book was deeply sad, and I felt dealt well with such a sensitive subject, especially considering that it was written in the 60s.

I gave this 4 stars.

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