J.K Rowling, a new book, the old book, and Harry Potter

So, I just bought my very own copy of The Cuckoo’s Calling, the new book J.K Rowling published under a pseudonym. ( And Robert Galbraith is a damn nice one. Has a ring to it, doesn’t it?). I decided I was going to buy it as soon as I heard the news, because, let’s face it, J.K Rowling and me? I’ll buy anything she writes.

(While I’m on this subject, Mrs. Rowling, I’d appreciate it if you wrote the damn HP Encyclopedia. I really would.)

I don’t have anything to say about the book yet, I have not read it, but I’ve heard plenty of good stuff. Almost as much good stuff as I heard bad stuff about The Casual Vacancy, which I also bought, and read. I did not hate it as much as most people I know did, though I confessed I expected something a little more lively. This was, after all, the woman who gave us The Marauders and the Weasley twins.

But I read it. Had no problems getting through it, though it did take me much longer than most books I read. Found it to be brilliant writing. But it lacked a little bit of …well, magic.

For me, and I think for a lot of people my age, older, and, well, honestly, most people who at some point or another got their hands on a Harry Potter book, the whole Harry Potter experience was …pure magic. Everyone had a favorite character. (Mine was Lupin). Everyone cried at one point or another (I cried plenty. Mostly at the end of Book 5 and …eh, well, most of Book 7). Most people had a shipping preference (H/G for the WIN). 

It’s hard to write anything after that. It’s hard to measure up to yourself. But, in a way, I’m glad for The Casual Vacancy. I’m glad for The Cuckoo’s calling. I’m glad she’s still writing, even if we don’t get to know what happened to Harry after that last train left for Hogwarts. (In a way, this is what makes HP special .We don’t know what happened, and in a way, we do know. We’ve imagined it countless of times.). Even if we end up hating the new book, or, maybe, in the case of this new one, loving it. Even if we think the writing is not the same, the magic is not there.

Because, that’s being a writer. You don’t stop. And, for the woman who gave us Harry, Hermione and Ron, I promise to continue reading. She’s earned that much.