Seven Year Itch

There are good things about the book, though. The way Rowling was able to incorporate elements from earlier books, especially during the latter third of Deathly Hallows, is welcome and clever. I doubt in many ways that these connections to earlier adventures were planned from the outset but unlike some connect-the-dot moments in other serials (ahem, Lost), they didn’t feel faked or forced. I like that at long last we see a lot of what makes Dumbledore tick and it feels genuine and he comes across as a well-rounded and complete character. One thing Rowling has always done well is give her protagonists real flaws so that we aren’t constantly reading about Superman. Dumbledore, like Harry, we find to be a genuinely good, well-intentioned and wise person but certainly not without problematic and worrisome aspects to his personality. Also the Epilogue was, in spite of its general corniness, a welcome and fitting close for the whole run.

A few things that have no bearing on anything of consequence but that I didn’t care for: The way Neville’s acquisition of Gryffindor’s sword from the Sorting Hat was never even remotely explained; the manner in which Draco Malfoy played practically zero role in the climax of the book/series except in a second-hand way by providing the means for his parents’ implied redemption; the lack of logic behind the secrecy of Harry’s mission to destroy the Horcruxes (even if he himself was the seventh, I fail to see how having Ron and Hermione’s help alone versus the entire Order of the Phoenix would have changed anything); the obtuse symbolism of the creature in King’s Cross Station during Harry’s vision/dream/visit to the afterlife; and finally, the lack of clear indication of how Harry, Ron and Hermione turned out aside from a general sense of happiness and their families. Some professions, perhaps? Living locations (did Harry and Ginny end up at Twelve Grimmauld Place)? A description of how they look at least?

Some minor things I did like about Deathly Hallows were: The chapter where the truth about Snape was revealed at last; the emergence of Ron—finally!—as a standalone heroic character; the focus once again on the three main protagonists without as much interference from secondaries; the fitting send-off for Dobby; the non-cop-out resolution of Harry’s relationship with his aunt and uncle plus the extra charm of Dudley’s last-minute decency that didn’t quite make up for everything else; the lack of time and space-wasting recap exposition; and the generally clear descriptions of the battle scenes taking place at Hogwarts. Often authors don’t effectively explain the whos and whats of large-scale action sequences but I felt the Battle of Hogwarts was easy to visualize.

Anyway, these are just my scattered thoughts and impressions. If you’ve finished the book, drop me a comment and let me know what you thought. What I’m really wondering at this point is what Ms. Rowling will do next. More books in the same universe with different characters? Something completely different? Retirement? I want to know.

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