One hundred books to read. #58: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Here it is – the final book in the Harry Potter series, in which the war against evil comes to a decisive conclusion.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
J. K. Rowling
Bloomsbury Books

With the death of Dumbledore, it’s up to Harry to destroy Lord Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes in order to remove the latter’s immortality, if Harry is to have any chance of defeating the Dark Lord.

(Photo credit: Spotlight Report)

The task ahead of Harry and his friends is immense – almost impossible – because up to this point, most of what Harry has learnt about Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes and their locations has come from Dumbledore himself.  Now the teenagers must find the remaining parts of the Dark Lord’s shattered soul themselves, not knowing what form they would take, which is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.  There is a lot of puzzle-solving, disguising, and infiltrating in this story, much like a good tale of espionage.  But in this story there is an added weight from the sheer resistance the friends face – Lord Voldemort and his supporters have assumed control of both the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts School, and so people who can help the trio are few and far-between.

Indeed, this book is the most different one in the series, for the friends no longer have the protection and stability of Hogwarts schooling life, but instead abandon their education to find the Horcruxes.  They travel up and down the United Kingdom, alone and always only one step away from the Death Eaters, and are forced to camp out in the cold and dank countryside for added protection.

The subplot of this story involves a newly released biography of Albus Dumbledore, which, owing to the fact that it was written by the infamous Rita Skeeter, does not present the former Headmaster in a very positive light at all.  Harry is once again tormented by what he wants to believe, if he is to have any convictions to hold dear, and what he fears is the unsavoury truth.  He realises that, although their relationship has certainly transcended that of Headmaster-student, he actually knows virtually nothing about Dumbledore or his past.  Could it really be that Dumbledore had let his mother imprison his sister all those years ago, as the biography alleges?  Could it really be that he had fantasised, with his friend Grindelwald, to rule over all Muggles?  So the vision of power can corrupt so easily, and so we fear that there may not be much difference between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, after all…

The entire Harry Potter franchise seems like a Pensieve; we dip into the books and are instantly hooked by the richly detailed world that we are temporarily privy to.  They fill us with a gravity that is hard to shake off, even after reading the final word in the series, for now we know what extraordinary adventures wizards have had, what evil they have faced, and the sweetness of goodness’ triumph over it – and our own mortal world seems a little dull after that.  We are welcomed into the magical world, but at the same time we are so removed; the rewards are Harry’s, not ours.  The only thing we can possibly share is that feeling of grief when a major character is killed, for we understand through our own wars the high personal cost of overcoming adversity.  Victory is bittersweet, for there is that pang of realisation that some friends, parents, or children can never feel that jubilation and never celebrate peace ever again, having laid down their life for the cause.

Should you read this book?
Yes, if you wish to know how the epic story will end – who will live, where the major characters’ allegiances lie, and who gets off with whom.  Yes, if you want to know if and how Harry can ever defeat Lord Voldemort (there is a logical flaw in one or the other’s plans!).
No?  Well, if you’ve already bothered to read Books 1-6, there is really no reason not to read Book 7 too.