HP Sorcery

Never mind what I wrote, yesterday; I should have brought you up to date on the Potter situation.

I think I admitted to having taken to reading about Ms Rowling’s finest. I did this for two reasons: (i) my son (aged 9) had finally got stuck in and I thought I’d better keep abreast of what he was, erm, learning; and (ii) I’d read a few things about JKR, and I wanted to discover for myself whether she deserved my son’s time and attention.

Now, if slightly later than planned, I am happy to report that I have now read (and enjoyed) the whole septology. Did I make up a similar word last time? Not sure, but for those unaware, there are seven books in the HP saga. I was constantly flying approximately one volume behind the lad, but not one spoiler escaped his lips, for which I am very thankful as the story was entertaining, thought provoking and gripping to the very end.

I have yet to see any of the films, and I suppose there’s a chance I will take a look sooner or later as the children grow and demand their chance to put faces to the names, but for the time being, there will be no more HP sourced thrills in my daily life.

As for JKR, I was concerned that she was being pilloried without good cause. Now, I am rather confident that I was correct in my assumption. Yes, she decided to voice some comments and opinions on Twitter, but the vitriol and hatred which followed was, frankly, unwarranted. I suspect that most of those venting their uninformed spleens had never even opened the cover of any of the books which have made Ms Rowling so well-known. Here is my brief assessment.

The Harry Potter stories are about many things. Wizards and witches, spells and potions, giants and massive spiders, wands and invisibility cloaks (well, one particular cloak to be precise), children and teachers, love and hate, loyalty and betrayal, centaurs and unicorns, gingers and elves. So far, so kids’ books. Nothing wrong with that.

For those doubting JK’s politics, the stories are also concerned with rather more serious topics. Racism, intolerance, otherness, difference, xenophobia, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, torture, lies, deceit, slavery, evil. I could go on. Of course, ultimately [spoiler alert], good overcomes all this, but it was all imagined and written by somebody who must have had a sound understanding of these issues. In my humble opinion, there can be little doubt where she stands.