The author of the “Harry Potter” series has traded writing about magic for mystery and murder, and many local J.K. Rowling fans are reacting enthusiastically to the news of her latest work.
Joanne Kathleen Rowling published the crime novel “The Cuckoo’s Calling” in April using the pen name Robert Galbraith.
The Sunday Times of London revealed Rowling as the author of the novel July 14.
Rowling’s talent for nuance and detail could help make her successful in a new genre, said Elli Langford, a 25-year-old freelance writer and member of the UF Quidditch team.
“The ability to create characters people care about and want to read about is how you sell books,” she said. “Twist endings and being mysterious while making so many things work together. What she is good at is perfect for the mystery genre.”
Rowling wrote under a new pseudonym to test herself, Langford said.
“Like all writers, she wants to know if she’s any good and what people will think of her work,” she said. “It’s almost impossible because people will read anything she publishes.”
UF classical studies senior Tim Derrick, 21, agreed.
“I’d probably read it just because she wrote it,” he said. “ She’s always been great at building an unbelievable world.”
David Diemes, a 24-year-old UF biology senior and member of the UF Quidditch team, added that by using a pseudonym, Rowling allows readers to experience her work in a new way.
“She may have done this as an experiment to see if her new work could be noticed without her big name clouding the opinions of readers,” Diemes said. “I don’t blame her for wanting to try something new. She doesn’t need the money, so she’s clearly doing it for the love of writing.”
“The Cuckoo’s Calling” is unavailable in local bookshops, but chain merchants Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million have the book in stock.
The Alachua County Library District owns 29 copies, but as of press time, all were checked out and 126 holds were pending, according to its online catalog.
When Diemes reads the book, he said he anticipates having a hard time separating the world of Harry Potter from the crime novel.
“She moved on to other projects, and that’s part of the fun of being a reader,” he said, “not knowing when you are going to find the next gem in your collection.”
Contact Hanna Marcus at hmarcus@alligator.org.
