“The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children.” – Shakespeare
So. Many. Thoughts. Where do I begin? Perhaps at the very beginning–when a little magical baby survived a deadly attack from a very cruel wizard setting in motion events that culminated in the Battle of Hogwarts in which the evil wizard was finally defeated. But what if the magical baby did not survive? Or what if that cruel wizard did not kill him? What would have happened then, and what would the world of Harry Potter look like today?
The Plot
The Cursed Child may be a story in the future, but its feet are planted in the past. At the heart of it is the misunderstood Albus Potter and his troubled relationship with his father, Harry. Albus is Harry’s middle child, mediocre in his magical prowess, forever in his dad’s shadow and a Slytherin. Can you imagine being a Potter and a Slytherin?
Though 22 years have passed, the prejudice dividing the houses remains unchanged. He is further alienated from his friends and family because of his close friendship with Scorpius, Draco Malfoy’s son. There is gossip that he may be Voldemort’s son, which makes him very unpopular in school. By personality, he appears more to Ron & Hermoine’s progeny. He is funny yet nerdy and by far the most lovable new character in the series.
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Throughout the story, Harry and Albus have a difficult relationship. Albus resents his father’s celebrity status and is determined to find his flaws. Harry does not know how to deal with this moody, rebellious kid. Their failing relationship drives impetus to Albus’s mission to undo the wrongs of his father.
A chance encounter with Amos and Delphini Diggory sets Albus on a quest to reverse the past and save Cedric Diggory’s life. Time-turners come into play and famous landmarks are revisited. They skirt the forbidden forest, swim through the pipes in the 1st-floor girls’ bathroom at Hogwarts, take a dive into the Hogwarts’ lake, and find themselves inside the Whomping Willow. Every time Albus goes into the past, he changes the future.
Review
The Cursed Child is a chance for Rowling to legitimize all the alternate endings that would have swirled in her head when she wrote Harry Potter. The book is essentially fan service, as we go back to some of the most pivotal events of the series. The most poignant is when we along with Harry witness the death of Potter’s parents, the gravity of letting fate take its place for the greater good.
I found the book to be consistent with most characters. It’s not strange that Harry is not the greatest dad, he had after all very little experience with his own parents. It’s also not unusual that he is a bit self-absorbed by his past. He has been a celebrity since he was 11 years old and no one lets him forget it. He also suffers from PTSD. Hermione has become the Minister of Magic and continues to be bright and resourceful. Ron is reduced to a bumbling idiot, which was his point, wasn’t it? They are celebrities, their lives well documented and well known.
The Cursed Child is full of self-references and tongue-in-cheek humor. The irony of Albus, Scorpius & Delphi polyjuicing into the Ministry of Magic as Ron, Harry, and Hermione isn’t lost on us. Inside jokes abound – lax security of Hogwarts, how you ‘must’ find lifelong friendship on your first time in Hogwarts Express, and so on.
The writing is sloppy and simplistic. Scenes are wrought with high emotions. In one scene, Dumbledore & Harry are crying and declaring their love for each other, which seems quite out of character. Two young kids’ hoodwinking enchantments set by Hermione in another scene appear far-fetched. Hermione repeatedly fooled experts when she was 17, there is no way her enchantments would be this lame. What really saddens me is that somehow with age Harry & Hermione have become more like politicians and less of the righteous wizards that we knew.
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JK Rowling’s strength has always been in developing intricate plotlines that form pieces of a larger puzzle that keep coming together. She loves exploring relationships with a focus on friendships and familial bonds. With Cursed Child, she is trying to subvert the trope she has created in the original series.
Harry’s abusive childhood would lead him to form strong attachments with Hogwarts and the people he met there. Albus, however, hates Hogwarts. But he is more similar to Harry than he realizes. They both share an unhappy, isolated childhood. Like his father did, Albus carries resentment for the life that was given and is quick to anger and reckless. Both rely on friends over family, and they both share a love for foolish adventure.
As The Cursed Child is a script, readers have complained that it doesn’t do an outstanding job of creating a visual spectacle of magic that the prose format does. I don’t agree as magic is secondary in this story. The assumption is that the people reading are inherently familiar with the world of Harry Potter. Magic just happens and doesn’t require an explanation.
The story is really about love and friendship and loss. It’s about good versus evil. That’s what Harry Potter has always been about.
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