Readers of the Harper Lee novel "Go Set A Watchman," who were left feeling underwhelmed and disappointed with the novel have been given the chance to get their money back.
Brilliant Books in Traverse City, MI, are providing refunds to dozens of their customers who bought the sequel to the classic novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" after they were misled into believing the book would be "a nice summer novel."
The idea was conceived after one unhappy customer came to the store and expressed her displeasure for the book. "Her disappointment was palpable, so I immediately apologized for being complicit in the marketing, and offered her a refund, which she accepted," said shop owner Peter Makin.
"I realized then that we needed to offer the same thing to all our customers," he added, and his nine employees agreed and were "fully supportive," according to the New York Daily News.
The book store then released a statement on their official website, encouraging readers to view the novel as "an academic insight," comparing it to the situation James Joyce was in when he released "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," which was the final output of his original draft "Stephen Hero."
"It is disappointing and frankly shameful to see our noble industry parade and celebrate this as 'Harper Lee's New Novel.' This is pure exploitation of both literary fans and a beloved American classic (which we hope has not been irrevocably tainted)," the statement read.
"Go Set A Watchman" has received negative criticism after readers saw that it did not match the quality of its predecessor. However, it has not hindered the book from being a commercial hit, having already sold more than a million copies within a week from its release, TIME reported.
