Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)

by J.K. Rowling

[clementine]

I always love reading this series back for a multitude of reasons. First of all, the world is wonderfully-constructed, so easy to become immersed in; every time I read them I discover new details and clues that absolutely delight me. I also really do love seeing how Rowling's writing style developed, as it's clear that she refined it over the years to grow with her aging audience.

I mentioned this in my review of Philosopher's Stone, but the first two books really stand out as the most childish. I think they are fantastic children's books, full of imaginative worldbuilding, brilliant wordplay, and, of course, the beginnings of a complex overarching plot. However, there are certain imperfections that I can't help but notice now as an older, more critical reader.

The characterization is really what's off about the first two books; Rowling seemed to switch gears in terms of how she wanted to present less sympathetic characters around the third or fourth book. This creates some cardboard villains and weird inconsistencies with the later books - which is saying something, since she planned them in such great detail that it's hard to call much of anything in the series inconsistent!

In Chamber of Secret specifically, Lockhart and Malfoy stand out as particularly awful characters. To start with, Lockhart is just so comically awful. This totally works for a children's book, because, let's face it, larger-than-life characters are entertaining! It did bug me, though, because the vast majority of the other characters aren't given this caricature-like treatment, even so early on in the series. Draco, on the other hand, is just inconsistent with how he turns out in the later books. In CoS, he is actively rooting for Hermione to die (!), and disappointed that all the Basilisk's victims survive. I understand being racist (or whatever the pure blood/Muggle born equivalent is), and being elitist, and being a supporter of Voldemort, but it strikes me as particularly unbelievable for a 12-year-old boy to so coldheartedly want his classmates to die. It's downright sociopathic, and we are shown in the later books that Malfoy is far from a sociopath, and is, in fact, an intensely sympathetic character by the end of the series.

Essentially, this is a pretty wonderful book, but not without its faults. I am quite excited to get to PoA, because this is where things start getting darker, better-written, and more meaty. I can never choose if PoA, GoF, or HBP is my favourite, but I am thrilled to re-read them and try to figure that out again!