Books & Poetry

Don’t buy this book. Not if you yearn for the simple, childish innocence of the early Potter books, where Vernon Dursley gained a pig’s tail or Ron Weasley kept belching slugs. No, this final chapter of Harry’s life is darker than Severus Snape’s cloak. It may be that it’s not even a children’s book at all.

Two central characters are killed in the first 70 pages, another savagely mutilated. And Harry is more alone than ever. Harry has always needed parental figures, all of whom have been taken from him. First his mother and father when he was a baby, then his godfather Sirius, and in the last book Headmaster Dumbledore. But scarcely a page goes by without mention of at least one of them. Indeed, much of the book is taken up with a re-evaluation of Dumbledore, whose arrogance, early anti-Muggle views and obsessive secrecy are striking discoveries.

The book begins with the wizarding world in despair. The evil Voldemort is in the ascendant and wants Harry dead. The Order of the Phoenix escorts Harry to safety in a violent and exciting airborne chase, and there’s barely a moment when the tension eases. Even the Weasley family wedding that follows is only a brief respite from the turbulence. From then on, Harry, Ron and Hermione are on their own, on the run from Voldemort’s servants. They seek the Horcruxes that may lead to Voldemort’s downfall, and then the Deathly Hallows – three artefacts that give the owner power over death. They are separated from their families, their homes, even from Hogwarts.

Rowling’s quicksilver style is direct, full of simplicity and clarity. It doesn’t get in the way of the plot, allowing the reader to gulp down chapter after chapter without drawing breath. Her skill is to deliver all this plot with just enough explanation and reminder to keep the reader up to speed. Nonetheless, it requires close reading – Rowling has peppered the books with surprises and revelations from the beginning. Much is revealed for the first time here, from the moment of Harry’s parents’ death, to his mother’s childhood and an unexpected ally. It’s all so intricately plotted that it seems that Rowling had the whole arc of the seven books in mind from the start, or at least that she has retrospectively crafted it into one seven-book watertight story.

It’s as irresistibly engaging as ever, with Rowling’s teeming imagination informing everything from new magical creatures and spells to evocative names and the relentlessly fast-paced adventure. It’s a speedy read, though you may want to slow down to savour your last moments with Harry. Rowling ends the story with mysteries solved, relationships cemented and with a finality that means there’s no possibility of a return to the world of Potter. Wonderful, from first to last.