My love-hate relationship with Robert Galbraith.
For the past 4.5 months, I’ve been working my way through the Cormoran Strike series, written by Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling. And after almost 16 straight months of consuming content produced by J.K., I’ve finally caught up to her most recent work! Just in time for the release of her 7th book in the Cormoran Strike series. And this is why this news comes as both welcomed and unwelcomed.
So, I’ve said this before, I’m a bit obsessive compulsive, perhaps saying that “I’m a bit” is an understatement. So, as we embarked to re-listen to the Harry Potter series last year in April, then I got it into my mind that I needed to also get through all J.K’s works. Inclusive of the wizarding textbooks, ‘The Casual Vacancy’ (that was hard), and now all 6 of her Comoran Strike series written under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith. And at times, it was tough going, and I was tempted to give up- but as one murder mystery came to an end, it was so easy to just start the next, and continue the ongoing saga of ‘will they, or won’t they?’
So here is a list of the 3 things I loved the most about the Comoran Strike series, and the 3 things I hated the most. You decide if you want to embark on this journey.
Love
They’re so long!
Just like her Harry Potter books, J.K. is in no hurry to wrap up her stories. And as the series progresses, they’re only getting longer and longer, the 6th book was over 1,000 pages, over 32 hours as an audiobook! That’s epic! But why is this the first reason why I loved the series? It’s because along with my obsessive-compulsive nature, I also have FORO(fear of running out), be that a tasty meal, milk for my Saturday morning cereal, or toilet paper (2020 was a nightmare situation for me). And this FORO hits me hard with a good book, as I’m both torn in wanting to know what happens, while wanting to make the experience last as long as possible. Thus, listening to a good book with my wife is so difficult, as she loves to binge/smash through a good book, when I prefer to drag it out a bit more.
So, because each Comoran Strike book is so, so, so, long! I’m able to binge the book to my heart’s content, and for weeks I’m still working my way through the same title. So, this has been good for my CORO situation!
Continuity
What J.K. is, is, detailed and meticulous in her planning. So, the same characters around Comoran Strike have been there, and dare I say will continue to be there in subsequent novels. So, as the series develops, you can be assured that these characters will stick around and grow old with you, which is a comforting thought. Although, most of the side characters aren’t all that endearing though…….
‘Will they, or won’t they?’
Not wanting to give too much away, however the tension between characters of the opposite sex, both available and secretly attracted to one another? That tension of ‘will they, or won’t they?’, gets me every time, so the longer they drag this out for, the longer they have me hooked line and sinker!
Hates
The length!
OMG, there’s been so many times in the past months I’ve been annoyed to the point I was tempted to give up! But my obsessive side didn’t allow it. Grrr! In my opinion, each chapter of a story should have a purpose, to progress the storyline of the book. But in the Comoran Strike series, there’s just so many details and interactions which are totally pointless! Sure, you’re developing the character and attempting to reflect the realities of detective work, but sometimes I think, “Please save us from these details! And give me back hours of my life!” So, it’s these sections of the book which make each novel so darned long.
Weird
The Comoran Strike series is set in London in the present day, but the characters who dwell in this fictitious London are weird, not resembling our reality. The contrast between the ridiculously good looking, and the ridiculously weird are too striking. Each time J.K. introduces a new character, and describes their physical appearance or behaviors, they’re usually peculiar, distinctive, or way too flawed! Sure, there’s many characters who seem more normal, but the reality that she depicts, it’s too weird for my liking. And I’d like to think our reality is a much better place, where we’re all unassuming, forgettable people! I’m just wondering, is this J.K’s attempts again to manipulate our view of our reality? “Wizards and witches, honestly.”
Timeframe
And this was more evident in the 6th book, where social media platforms played a big part, and exerts of online interactions between characters played a huge role. So, each chat window was time stamped, which then tied Comoran Strike to a specific point in time, that being the mid-2010s, 2015 to be precise. Which equates to a 7-year gap to the present, as the book was released in 2022. This ‘hate’ isn’t really my problem, but my concern is for J.K’s sake. As we are in the real-world, being rushed along, with technology and world developments unfolding at an alarming rate, these books will quickly feel dated, perhaps as soon as they’re released. For example, if you write a period drama, the fact that the book was set 100 years or hundreds of years in the past ensures that it remains timeless. But when books are set in a similar timeframe to us, but trailing 5-7 years behind? This gap between their present and our present just feels obvious. Think about it, wouldn’t it be so weird for J.K. to be writing a book, and always needing to transport herself back to 2015-2016, and try to recall if this or that tech or platform had been released yet? Isn’t that a weird and tiring way to work? At least the COVID year is still 4 years away for Cormoran! Haaha.
Ok, I’ll end here, to avoid writing a J.K. length blog post, but I’ll end in admitting that I do have a serious love hate relationship with Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling), the series annoys me to no end! But I’m sure that, as soon as the 7th book in the Comoran Strike series is available on audio, I’m going to listen to it. Ah! I have issues of FOMO as well!
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