Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
| Author | J.K. Rowling |
| Vote | 8/10 |
| Reviewed on | 2018-09-22 |
| Read in | English |
I’ve been very skeptical about this book for a long time until my friend Raphaël told me he liked it. The reason for my skepticism was that the original Harry Potter books appear to have a unifying plot where elements were wisely spread along the years, until being put into place in the last episode. So how could a book coming years later share this important quality?
Turns out that it does. And not because the author thought about it 20 years ago1. I think it’s possible to introduce new developments in an old plot if one knows it intimately enough, or if one is smart enough (which are probably the same thing). Keeping a plot coherent is the great thing I admire in good storytellers (and that I despise vehemently in mediocre ones).
We are 19 years after the battle of Hogwarts. What catches immediately is the way Rowling jeopardize important relationship to put the characters in a spot, where they will do something unexpected. One such relationship triggers the whole plot, with a classic couple of twists that I enjoyed. Minor spoiler: there’s time travel and I love it when it’s well done.
Recommended.
1: Though frankly, who knows, maybe she did. But it doesn’t matter.