Snape: The definitive analysis of Hogwarts's mysterious potions master (The Unofficial Harry Potter Character Series) Hardcover – October 18, 2022

I have been following Lorrie Kim's acute analyses of the characters of the Harry Potter series for fifteen years. Never has she failed to take my breath away with her ability to cut through the layers of Rowling's text to lay bare the crux of the characters' inner lives.In this book, she begins with Harry Potter novels, Pottermore additions to canon, published interviews and other writings of Rowling, and traces the evolution of Severus Snape from his humble beginnings to his heroic end.I tend to be an uncritical reader, accepting what the author gives me as fact without questioning. My acquaintance with the work of Lorrie Kim has taught me to be a bit more discerning now, when I read, but I will never attain the skill that seems to come to her as naturally as breathing.Kim provided me with many treasures of insight into the massive intellect of Severus Snape in this book. At the same time, she examines the origins of Snape's fractured personality: the childhood of poverty and neglect; the joy of finding a friend in Lily Evans; the constant dissonance of his underprivileged upbringing among the children of wealth and influence in Slytherin House; the unrelenting bullying he endured at the hands of the Marauders throughout his seven years at Hogwarts, and his full knowledge that Dumbledore was aware of much of it and still failed to protect him or punish James Potter, Sirius Black, and company; the trauma of coming face to face with Remus Lupin as a fully transformed werewolf; the devastation of the loss of his friendship with Lily; the decision, which he likely considered to be his only path forward, of taking the Dark Mark; the desolation of the death of Lily at the hands of Voldemort, whose decision to destroy baby Harry Potter was informed by the prophecy related to him by Snape; Snape’s pledge of service to Dumbledore, including protecting Lily's child, as penance for his terrible transgressions.Using these things as her springboard, Kim interweaves the machinations of Snape through the seven book series, showing us how the actions that were so heinous through Harry’s eyes were actually deeply plotted ways to teach Harry the things he needed to know to survive through the years of his childhood.There is much beauty in Kim’s exposition of Hogwarts’s Mysterious Potions Master. More than once sudden clarity in my grasp of Snape’s actions and words brought tears to my eyes.This book is a must-have for true scholars of the Harry Potter series. I would not be at all surprised to find it in the curriculum for a university course on the complexity of anti-heroes. Kim herself certainly did her homework in preparation for writing this book, as evidenced by her “Works Cited” page at the end of this book.Do you love Snape? You will love this book. Do you hate Snape? You will better understand who he was and the reasons for his actions. Are you on the fence? This book will help you make up your mind. Are you a Harry Potter scholar? You must have this master work in your library of reference books.Are you simply a Potter fan who cannot find enough material to feed the ravenous need to know more, to more deeply immerse yourself in the towering achievement that is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series? Find it here. You need this book in your library.

This is a compelling and comprehensive analysis of J.K. Rowling’s portrayal of the conflicted character and crucial role that Severus Snape plays in her seven-volume, 4100-page Harry Potter series of books. Lorrie Kim skillfully analyzes the “masterfully ambiguous” character of Snape, a double-agent for both Dumbledore and Voldemort, whose loyalties remain unclear to the reader until almost the very end of the final volume when Rowling finally reveals Snape’s complex motivation and the indispensable role he has played in the defeat of Voldemort. Moving sequentially through the seven books, Kim provides a finely grained textual analysis that describes, quotes, and analyzes the key passages about Snape, showing how even though Snape personally loathes Harry, he nevertheless systematically works to protect him and aid his mission, all unbeknownst to Harry. As I read Kim’s fascinating and convincing analysis of the many puzzling passages about Snape and how they all make sense if one keeps his larger goal in mind, I couldn’t help having an almost uncanny feeling that Kim was somehow “channeling” the underlying message Rowling was seeking to convey to her readers about Snape.I’m always skeptical about anyone who claims to have provided “a definitive reading” of any complex literary figure, but in this case I believe Kim's choice of words is probably justified. With this study, Lorrie Kim joins--and perhaps even surpasses--some of the finest interpreters of the Harry Potter books such as John Granger and Travis Prinzi. Whereas they have skillfully identified many of the potential sources, literary techniques, and larger issues that Rowling so ably draws upon and raises, however, Kim instead stays rigorously focused on understanding and assessing what Rowling herself was seeking to say in context. Almost every book about the Harry Potter series is required to carry the following caveat: “This book is not authorized, prepared, approved, licensed, or endorsed by J. K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any other individual or entity associated with the HARRY POTTER books or movies.” Yet such a disclaimer does not appear anywhere on Lorie Kim’s "Snape: A Definitive Reading." Could that be simply an oversight? Or is it possible that Rowling may feel that Lorrie Kim’s analysis of Snape is so close to her own that she can overlook the absence of such a caveat on this book? I hope and suspect the latter.Larry FosterAtlanta