You've heard all about the play but now it's time to read the script that's being marketed at the eighth Harry Potter book. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne that takes place nineteen years after Deathly Hallows. We find an adult Harry struggling with fatherhood when his youngest son, Albus Severus, heads to Hogwarts for the first time.
Any follow up to the original Harry Potter series was always going to have high expectations to live up to. When the book was first announced a few months ago, fans were divided over the script format. Following its release, the divide still exists with some saying it doesn't feel like a classic Potter novel as it lacks the exquisite, fully-detailed descriptions that Rowling became known for.
Cursed Child sees a definite departure from the original series; it's hard to align this new chapter with previous ones as it doesn't seem to slot in as well as fans would have hoped. Some have even gone as far as saying it has the feel of a poorly executed fan fiction but it's not all bad.
The plot benefits by revisiting familiar landmark events, such as the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the death of Lily and James Potter, instead of introducing new ones. This tactic allows deeper layers and more details to be added to past dates we already know of with and it's this that allows us to feel comforted by the familiarity of old material without re-hashing it completely.
Rowling was never going to be able to to cover every post final battle moment that we hoped for, however it's the severe lack of Teddy Lupin action that stands out and wounds readers the most - even the slightest mention or acknowledgement of his character would have been nice. However, the mysterious characterisation of Delphi works wonders for the story and adds an edge to the book that you won't be expecting as you dive in.
What Rowling has always succeeded at is her ability to form strong relationships between characters, which is what she has done yet again with Cursed Child. The friendship between Albus and Draco's son Scorpious reminds readers of that of Harry and Ron in earlier novels. It is this unique friendship that strengthens the plot in places it might otherwise dip and lose attention.
Standout moments in the play come from those with humour imbued. Ron Weasley once again appears in full force as the comic relief the wizarding world needs when faced with dark times ahead. For every negative feature the book contains, there's twice as many positives and Rowling, Tiffany and Thorne have done well with what was always going to be a difficult task. It's a play of twists and turns from start to finish but one that is well worth a read, so pick up a copy and conclude the final chapter to a series we all fell for many years ago.
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