Anyone who truly knows me, knows that I LOVE Harry Potter. I own 6 wands, the Time-Turner, my very own Quill, all the books including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages, and the Tales of Beedle the Bard, all the movies, and several fan T-Shirts and other Hogwarts apparel. Yup, I'm a geek. Eventually you'll find me at a Muggle convention, when I don't have mountains of laundry and 120 dance critiques to grade... So when I found out that J.K. Rowling was publishing her first post-Harry book, I immediately ordered a copy on Amazon. I received the book at the end of September, with it's red and yellow book cover that felt rigid while holding. I just finished it today and I think that says something about the book. It took a while for me to read it. I'll admit that it was hard for me to let go of the Harry Potter world. My immediate dissatisfaction with the language in the book, so different from the world of Muggles and Wizards left me feeling disappointed. But I knew that I had to keep reading, kind of like a pill you have to hold your breath and force yourself to swallow. I was desperately routing for one of my favorite authors to succeed. And ultimately, I think she did.
The story takes place in a small English town called Pagford after the death of a Parish Councillor named Barry Fairbrother. Rowling throws over a dozen new characters at you, one right after the other, which left me confused and adrift as to how to follow the tale. This was where disappoint started to sink in, as I couldn't put down any of the Harry Potter books after the first few pages due to the rich vocabulary and magically creative scenarios Rowling had created. Somehow though, the meandering tale of the "Casual Vacancy" started to become focused and I found myself quickly turning the page to see what cataclysmic event would fall on one of the self-absorbed residents of Pagford. Eventually, she had me ignoring my children and burning my bacon as my nose was buried deep in the book, in anticipation of the dramatic conclusion. I closed the book feeling satisfied, proud of her for bravely breaking free of the Harry Potter chain around her neck.
The book is not perfect, and comes across a little depressing and preachy. But I could definitely see things that made me smile as a Rowling fan: the name of the deceased pivotal character, Fairbrother, shows her use of blending words together to emphasize the personality of a character, a favorite trait of mine within the Harry Potter series. Her activism for social issues such as racism, sexism, and socio-economic politics shows her darker thoughts towards society and it's unavoidable downfalls. And finally, her ability to peal layers away from a character over time so that you begin to understand truly what makes them tick, shows that we all have good and evil within us though some more than others, is probably her strongest attribute as a writer. At times it feels very Dickensian, but with a modern twist; and the sex scenes and vulgar language almost feel jabbing, as if to say <insert middle finger> to the confines of Harry Potter mania. But I think she definitely deserves the right to do so living through the global obsession with all things Wizard and Muggle. I just long for a little more of Rowling's cheeky humor in her next writing adventure.
So am I still a Rowling fan? Absolutely. I'm excited to see what new tales she puts forth for my reading pleasure in the future. Though I have to admit, I hope they don't center in the town of Pagford. I'm happy to leave that vicinity to rest on the shelf.
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