JK Rowling’s latest book about a transphobic person who faces wrath online is not sitting well with fans and critics alike.
Critics say her new book titled The Ink Black Heart seems to be a case of art imitating reality. The book is the sixth one in the Cormoran Strike detective series, which she writes under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
Reviews say the book appears to mirror Rowling’s personal views, though the writer has denied it, saying that the book is not based on her own life although some of the events in the book did happen to her.
The book tells the story of Eddie Ledwell, a cartoonist who is persecuted by a mysterious online figure and ultimately found dead after her cartoon was criticized for being racist, ableist, and transphobic.
According to a Rolling Stone report, the book takes a clear aim at social justice warriors and suggests that Ledwell was a victim of a masterfully plotted, politically fuelled hate campaign against her and the character gets doxxed with photos of her home; plastered on the Internet and faces threats of rape and death because of her opinions.
It appears to many that some of the storylines have parallels to Rowling’s own life. In 2019, the author faced backlash for standing up for Maya Forstater, a researcher who lost her job over her transphobic tweets.
In 2020, Rowling was in the limelight again for some controversial tweets, including one opinion piece that mocked the term “people who menstruate”.
Rowling said that in November of the same year she had received death threats, and she also accused three activists of doxxing her when they posted photos of themselves holding pro-trans rights signs outside her house in Scotland.
Critics have also condemned the book as “hilariously self-persecuting” and “beyond parody” and have asked the reading public to boycott her book.
Rowling’s view has alienated and divided her fan base, which comprises a large number of LGBTQ people. The Harry Potter cast including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grant have all also come forward to decry her comments, expressing support for trans people.
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