There’s something about the way a good book can
transport you to strange new places or open your mind
to images and events that you might never have
imagined on your own. Some books can inspire you and
spur your imagination. Others can reveal emotions
inside you that no other person has ever brought out.
And still others can teach you how to fix the plumbing
in your kitchen or put you to sleep because of how
absurdly boring they are.
“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” (which I’ll
refer to as “HBP” for this review) does not fall into
the latter category. J.K. Rowling spins another
wonderful tale in the saga of Harry Potter with this,
her sixth book of the seven book series.
Now, before I continue, I want to warn you that I am a
big fan of the Harry Potter mythos. I have enjoyed
almost all of the books (the exception being “Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”). I’d rank HBP
as my second favorite segment of the saga (my favorite
being “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”).
I was talking to a friend of mine, who had never read
any of the books, and he asked me why I (and many
other adults) would read a “children’s book”. What
keeps me coming back to this series? My answer to
that comes in four parts. First, Rowling has said
that she never set out initially to write a children’s
book. She set out to write a story that she herself
would want to read. She has even said that children
under the age of nine shouldn’t be reading her books.
Secondly, her writing doesn’t talk down to the reader.
She tells you the story the way that she wants to,
complete with tragedy and comedy. She knows that her
audience is intelligent and that they can handle what
they are reading. She doesn’t try to shield her
readers from tragedy and terrible events like Roald
Dahl did with his “Deus Ex Machina” style endings. If
someone dies in one of Rowling’s books, they’re dead.
And she will help the reader grieve, but she won’t
“fix” anything and try to undo the tragedy.
Additionally, her sense of comedic timing is perfect.
The humor that she injects into the tales (usually
stemming from Harry’s friend Ron) is a wonderful
counter to the more serious elements of these books.
(Now there is a spoiler ahead. So if you don’t want
to know, skip the next paragraph.)
For instance: in HBP, there is a great tragedy at the
end of the book. And it’s the way that Harry and his
friends deal with that tragedy that makes the book
that much better for me. Here you have a teenage boy
whose parents were slain when he was a baby. He was
raised by his aunt and uncle who hate him for what he
is (even though he never gave them any reason to
dislike him). His godfather was taken from him. The
man who murdered his parents and tried to kill him has
returned from near death to finish the job. And most
in HBP his mentor, and quite possibly the greatest
wizard ever is slain. But yet, Harry soldiers on and
faces his problems. And through this story,
Rowling…inspires the reader to keep trying and not
back down when faced with problems.
Third, the characters in her books sound and feel like
real people. Almost everyone has multiple dimensions
(even the bad guys). His friends Ron and Hermione
argue from time to time, each member of Ron’s family
has their own distinct personality and behavior and
the same goes for Harry’s classmates. And, as we
learn in this book, even Harry’s Nemesis, Voldemort
has motivation for doing the vile things that he has
done. Do you feel like rooting for him afterwards?
No. He’s still a bad guy, but now you have an idea as
to why he is that way. And it’s these realistic
portrayals of people that you could know that help
draw the reader into her world.
As a side note, Harry’s development has been
noticeable throughout the course of the books. He
showed maturity and self-restraint throughout the
course of the story (two things that he seemed to be
lacking in the previous book). You can clearly see
that he’s learning from his mistakes and growing as a
character. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing
where Mrs. Rowling will take his emotional development
in the next novel.
Lastly, Rowling reveals a fantastical world that’s
just out of reach (to us non-magical folk). It’s so
close that we can almost see and become a part of it.
For instance to get to Harry’s School, Hogwarts, you
have to take the train. But to get on the train, you
have to go to platform 9 ¾ in London’s Kings Cross
Station. And Diagon Alley, the place where Harry and
his friends purchase their schoolbooks is located in
London. In Harry’s world, there are a myriad of other
places and sights and things that Muggles (non-magical
folk) could almost see, touch and experience, but I’d
need an entire book in and of itself to elaborate on
them all. And with each book, Rowling reveals
numerous new people, places, creatures and items. All
of these things help her fictional world seem so real
and, for me, that’s what keeps me coming back for each
new book: her wonderful imagination and her excellent
skills as a writer.
Story-wise, there was only one thing that really
bothered me about HBP. And that was the “Spider-man”
style ending. Those of you that have seen the film
“Spider-man” should know what I’m talking about. The
funeral scene at the end of the film, where Peter
Parker tells MJ that he can’t be with her because (in
his mind) he thinks that she’ll become a target for
the bad guys, is translated almost exactly into the
end of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It
felt too melodramatic for my tastes. And I didn’t
like the fact that another person that Harry cared
about and trusted was taken away (or in this case
pushed stupidly away). Beyond that, I enjoyed the
story.
All in all, HBP was an excellent book. Rowling
doesn’t shy away from the dark aspects of her stories
or try to censor them. However, she doesn’t relish in
them and take delight in describing them in gruesome
detail either. That’s another thing that I’ve enjoyed
about her work, she knows just how far to go when
dealing with the darkness and she doesn’t go too far,
nor does she stop short of what needs to be said.
That’s a rare gift in this market where some writers
tend to go overboard with the details. Rowling
managed to find the perfect emotional balance in this
story between the darker elements (death, hatred) and
the lighter elements (hope, love and humor). And she
did it so seamlessly. That’s what’s so impressive.
And that’s why I’m very much looking forward to the
seventh and final book in the series. A tale this
good has got to have a spectacular finish and I, for
one, can’t wait to see it.
