It's difficult to criticise JK Rowling even if she deceived readers and made everyone believe she was an author named Robert Galbraith. After all, it's safe to assume that Rowling wanted to cover her literary tracks after critics gave her first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy, mixed reviews.Once Rowling's secret had been exposed, she stated, "I was yearning to go back to the beginning of a writing career in this new genre, to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback. It was a fantastic experience and I only wish it could have gone on a little longer."
The burning question for book club members to discuss as they read our current SAS Book Club choice, The Cuckoo's Calling, is this: Is it right for an author to pretend to be someone else? Yes, authors have pseudonyms, but Rowling and/or her publishers went overboard in creating an elaborate identity for Galbraith.By the way, Robert Galbraith, who doesn't really exist, does have a Web site, robert-galbraith.com, for Sunday Arts Section (SAS) Book Club readers to check out.When you think about it, The Cuckoo's Calling is one of those books where readers have as much to discuss about the author as the book itself. It's impossible not to compare Rowling's children's fiction and adult fiction. Clearly, Rowling's strength as a writer in both literary arenas is her ability to shape characters. Many writers succeed with short-lived fame by spinning fast-paced, action-packed plots. Rowling creates unforgettable characters. No one is ever going to forget Harry Potter.
Cormoran Strike, the wounded war veteran and protagonist of The Cuckoo's Calling, isn't on Harry's level, but he is memorable as a war veteran with physical challenges. It's difficult not to empathise with a man who has lost much in life yet still gets up to fight the good fight. The juxtaposition of Strike with his temporary secretary, Robin, gives The Cuckoo's Calling a strong foundation for character and conflict development. Strike and Robin make an unlikely pair. Indeed, each is the antithesis of the other. Robin is a strong character in her own right because she is embarking on new adventures in her life: she has just got engaged and she's now working in a detective agency. This fulfils a childhood dream, but readers can't help but cringe while noting the dream is connected to Strike–not Dick Tracy.
From the time we learn that Robin is Strike's temporary employee, readers are rooting for her to be a permanent part of Strike's detective business. Readers must also hope this unlikely duo can solve the case of a troubled model who ended up dead.Rowling moves readers into the traditional realm of the detective novel with stock characters, strange twists in the plot and snappy writing. The cursing will likely make most readers cringe. It's difficult to accept Harry's literary mother cursing. And what was that about anyway? Was that meant to make readers forget that she created Harry? Does it just go with the territory of a detective novel?What do you think? Would you have discovered or joined the SAS Book Club to discuss The Cuckoo's Calling if you had not known that Robert Galbraith was really JK Rowling?Did the author gain anything from her brief period of anonymity?Join us in the SAS Book Club group on Facebook to discuss The Cuckoo's Calling.