Last week, Harper Lee gave fans of To Kill A Mockingbird an early sample of its sequel, Go Set A Watchman, by releasing its first chapter on The Guardian and the Wall Street Journal.
In it, we learn that Scout, now in her twenties, is going by Jean Louise.
She's now a New Yorker, is still wearing pants, and is on her way to visit Atticus in Maycomb.
We also learn that Jean Louise's childhood crush on Dill was definitely just a phase.
She has now moved on to a potential suitor named Henry Clinton, who is a former soldier and hopeful lawyer.
But, arguably, the biggest revelation from the first chapter regards the fate of Jean Louise's older brother, Jem.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem acted as Scout's guide throughout the novel and meant so much to her.
His Boo Radley adventures with Dill and Scout were legendary.
And his love of Atticus helped perpetuate the heroic identity that has become so much a part of Atticus' legacy.
In Go Set A Watchman, it's revealed that Jem is dead.
Harper Lee writes, "Jean Louise’s brother dropped dead in his tracks one day, and after the nightmare of that was over, Atticus, who had always thought of leaving his practice to his son, looked around for another young man."
As one would predict, fans of the novel had some strong reactions.
Me after finding out Atticus Finch is a racist and Jem is dead in TKAM sequel
AND HE'S DEAD OK. I CAN'T KEEP IT IN ANY LONGER IT'S CAUSING ME IMMEASURABLE PAIN. JEM FINCH IS DEAD.
Jem Finch? In the first 12? Son of a bitch. Did George R. R. Martin consult on this thing?
You cried when Zayn left, but we died in the inside when Atticus Finch was announced racist and Jem Finch dead in the sequel