J.K Rowling Uses Invisibility Cloak To Write A Book, Says Something Without Saying Anything

This weekend J.K Rowling proved to be the biggest prankster (sorry Gabourey Sidibe, but well done regardless). News broke Sunday afternoon that J.K Rowling had published another book post-Potter, in addition to The Casual Vacancy. Except this one was written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith (she would with this last name). WELL PLAYED, JO. WELL PLAYED. Click here to order your copy. Oh wait you cannot because Amazon ran out of copies and so did your local book store (I refuse to go eBook but it’s available for your Kindle).

Last year on September 27th (the day after my birthday) Jo released her first official post-Potter book, The Casual Vacancy. It wasn’t my favourite. That’s fine. Neither was Goblet of Fire. I was kind of discouraged that I didn’t love it because I really, really wanted to but that has more to do with me than with the book. The book received generally favourable reviews, though those who disliked it had a lot of fun disliking it because of course. Whatever she was going to write after the series that changed the world (went there, not turning back), it was going to draw a lot of criticism for, quote “not conjuring up that Harry Potter magic” (someone come help me find my eyes at the back of my head okaythanks). She knew this herself. She admitted to considering writing The Casual Vacancy under a pseuodonym but decided not to…clearly she had other plans for Mr. Galbraith (BUT THIS NAME).

What is she trying to say with publishing The Cuckoo’s Calling under a male pseudonym? Probably nothing but let’s read way too into it because that’s always more fun. If she had written it as J.K Rowling, what kind of reviews would it received? As Robert Galbraith, it got amazing reviews. We’ll never know, of course, but I think she knew. I think she knew well enough that it was always going to be an uphill battle with every single book; every critic was and is going to compare her newest to her first, and that’s not only unfair but nonsensical.

Regardless, I find it fascinating that in 2013 – a time when everything is being frozen for social media – J.K f-cking Rowling is able to get away with a stunt like this.