Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: A stirring, complex tale

NEW DELHI: The plot washes you over; the characters submerge you with their lives; and the simple act of turning crisp, untouched pages becomes your Holy Grail.

Published on: Aug 1, 2016, 06:30:54 IST

By Prerna Madan

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NEW DELHI: The plot washes you over; the characters submerge you with their lives; and the simple act of turning crisp, untouched pages becomes your Holy Grail. Rest your fears, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will devour you. Just like the rest of the franchise, the Cursed Child will gift you the magic you wanted all over again.

It will stir your soul and ignite the delirious joy of returning to the world of Harry Potter again. It will transport you to Hogwarts’ dancing staircases, to the green expanse of the Quidditch field, to the majestic corridors of Ministry of Magic and most importantly, to your childhood.

It’s been 22 years, and the scar hurts again. There are remnants of the past threatening to irreparably alter the present, and a new villain is in the making. There are rumours and secrets brewing in the wizarding world. The new evil does not reveal his/ her identity till the second part of the play.

JK Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany have created a spectacular 330-page drama that is as gripping as the novels, but amazingly, without the fantasy fiction prototype theme of a hero with a quest. The story has no single hero to claim — not Albus, not Scorpius and not even Harry.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a story of unlikely friends, of the vulnerability of relationships, of familial histories and how every connecting thread is a knot away from being tang led into a glaring mess. Obviously, it is a delicate interspersion of past, present and future— the perfect sequel to an epic story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prerna Madan
Prerna Madan leads the explainers and immersives team at Hindustan Times, bringing more than eight years of editorial experience across India's three largest English-language newsrooms — Hindustan Times, The Times of India and The Indian Express. Her career spans the full range of modern news journalism: digital-first production, print news desks covering metro, national, and front-page, and editorial decision-making at the planning and commissioning stage. From managing coverage of Assembly elections and the Union Budget to steering the reporting, editing and production of in-depth reporting into the Delhi-NCR’s pressing issues, Prerna has honed journalistic storytelling that spans genres, topics and formats. Running through her current work is a facility for complexity — translating consequential, difficult material in the fields of policy, science, environment and politics into rigorous, accessible journalism that sets out to answer two critical questions: why it matters, and what happens now. Prerna holds a degree in English Literature from the University of Delhi and a postgraduate diploma from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.Read More

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