Alabama investigators interview Harper Lee after at least one complaint
Alabama’s Human Resources Department has dispatched investigators to interview 88-year-old Harper Lee, as well as her friends and caretakers, after receiving at least one complaint.
A doctor–who is friends with Lee but has not treated her–sought an investigation by filing an anonymous complaint, the New York Times reports. The doctor, who was not named by the Times, said he wanted the state to determine whether Lee was able to fully consent to publish a second novel, Go Set a Watchman, which was written before To Kill a Mockingbird.
Watchman, scheduled for a July release, features Scout as an adult. When Lee first submitted it to editors in the 1950s, they rejected the book and asked her to instead write a book from Scout’s point of view as a child. She followed their advice, and To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960. Some had noted the decision to publish the book occurred just months after the death of Lee’s sister. Lee’s lawyer discovered the manuscript.
The Times spoke with friends and acquaintances who offered differing account of Lee’s mental condition. According to the Times, “some [are] describing her as engaging, lively and sharp, and others [are] painting her as childlike, ornery, depressed and often confused. Several people said that her condition varied depending on the day.”
Lee had a stroke in 2007 and resides at an assisted-living facility. Friends told the Times that visitors must yell in Lee’s ear to be heard. She can also read written questions with the help of a special machine.
The Times reports that Lee was interviewed last month, and that it is unclear whether anything will come from the ongoing probe.
Updated at 3:10 p.m. to add the time element. Updated on March 13 to say that the probe was ongoing.
