Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

After frenzied anticipation, the final installment of J.K. Rowling’s celebrated series has been released, read, digested and endlessly discussed. I read the weighty tome in two late nights of frantic page turning, finding satisfaction in the Saturday-morning-cartoon feeling of getting completely lost in the saga of Harry. One of the most interesting things about the Harry Potter phenomenon (aside from Rowling being worth more than the Queen) is how Harry’s storyline is interwoven with her own tapestry of loss and hardship. Rowling’s official Web site debunks rumors of her being homeless and writing early drafts on café napkins, although it does confess to some life events that color some of Harry’s pitfalls. A generation of children (and adults) has been glued to the books (and movies) for the better part of a decade—no small wonder considering all of the digital and virtual entertainment out there. The story burrows into the deep, dark secrets and fears that are everyone’s sources of anxiety. Beneath the snappy prose and brightly drawn characters lie a musty, ancient foundation of abuse, suffering and epic family secrets. The big question now is: What will Rowling write for us next?