Lorrie Kim

A truly deep dive into the character of Severus Snape as depicted in each volume of canon from the Sorcerer's Stone to The Cursed Child. This is clearly a painstaking work of fandom which seeks to synthesize the seemingly contradictory behavior and motives of the series' most perplexing character.

I picked this book up at a thrift store because it was such a singular and peculiar object. Although not a Snape Wife, I do love Alan Rickman and his performance in the movies is the only reason I show more bothered to read the books at all.

Although the author is an academic and folds in discussions of Jungian psychology and Machiavellian politics, this is still a very accessible book. I only read the series once so having someone walk through the plot of the books with the 20/20 hindsight of someone who has absorbed all the last second reveals in the final volume was helpful for comprehending all the intrigue from the perspective of the adults engaged in it.

That said, the fact that someone has to write a book like this suggests that Joanne didn't do a very good job the first go 'round. Lorrie Kim is always more than happy to give Rowling credit for her "masterful" writing and plotting but it's pretty clear to me that all these perceived qualities belong to Kim herself. I don't think Rowling thought deeply about her characters or their motivations until writing the final book which is why there is a ham-fisted arc where a dying man gives Harry dozens of memories to retroactively explain a bunch of plot points so that the finale would feel justified.

The fact that Kim felt the need to write a 400 page apologia to make Joanne's writing mistakes seem deliberate is evidence enough. While I appreciated some aspects of the book, a lot of it was pretty far-fetched and a stretch to imagine Rowling actually being aware of. Which, fine, that's what fandom is about. If you like the books, digging into the literature this way can be gratifying. But Rowling's definitely never thought about her own work this deeply and any sense you make of the final volume is a unique invention. show less

4 stars: Very good

From the back cover: While the Harry Potter series may follow the journey of the Boy Who Lived, if you want to know the whole story, keep your eyes fixed on Severus Snape. This greasy-haired, grumpy genius, one of J.K. Rowling’s most enduring gifts to English literature, is the archetypal ill-tempered teacher: demanding, acerbic, and impossible to ignore. Over the span of seven novels, Snape’s remarkable role in the series can be hard to parse: Where do his true show more allegiances lie? Can a former Death Eater change his spots? Why does he seem to loathe the boy he’s pledged to protect?

Taking an analytical approach to Hogwarts’s irascible, protective Potions professor, author Lorrie Kim presents a closer look at how Dumbledore’s double agent operates behind the scenes throughout the Harry Potter series. By examining the story from Snape’s point of view, this in-depth exploration pierces the defenses of the wizarding world’s famed Occlumens, revealing the man for who he truly is: one of pop culture’s most memorable heroes.

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I absolutely devoured this book. I started to "skim" then started over and did a full read then spoke about it for a week and immediately purchased a copy for Sarah. I absolutely loved this book. Whatever one thinks of JKR, she created a brilliant character who -- perhaps like herself and like all humans -- is not binary good/bad, but crazy complicated. I would argue he is one of the most complicated characters in all of literature. I loved this analysis and I am sure I will refer to it again and again.

One of the more interesting theses is that Snape regularly taught both Draco and Harry to stand down instead of using unforgivable curses. All the way back to CoS, when they started the "dueling club" - Snape made the two fight each other. This seemed cruel but it was then that Expelliarmus - disarming your opponent - became the signature spell for Harry. And yes, for Draco as well. Such a great read. show less

This book was received as a part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

I must confess up front that any book with the subtitle "A Definitive Reading" is going to get a raised eyebrow from me; to me, that's outright hubris on the part of the author.

That being said, there were some very interesting points raised in this book, which is a fairly thorough book-by-book review of what Severus Snape does and why he does it in relation to Harry Potter. I particularly liked the comments regarding show more Hermione and why he treats her the way he does, but Kim also misses, or declines to examine, a key component of why Snape consistently ignores Hermione: Kim acknowledges Snape's bigotry, but she never connects it to Hermione. Surely that is one of the key reasons Snape refuses to acknowledge his top student?

Kim also has a tendency to draw conclusions not supported by the text (e.g., the idea that Snape memorized all his textbooks before coming to Hogwarts; the idea that the house in Spinner's End was the Snape family home). But the most glaring omission, in my view, is a proper review of the three times Snape was betrayed by Dumbledore:

First, when James and Lily were killed. Kim goes into detail on how Dumbledore shames Snape for being willing to sacrifice Lily's husband and son so long as Lily is protected, so Snape agrees to serve Dumbledore's cause so long as the three of them are kept safe. The bargain is broken when James and Lily are killed; Dumbledore knows that Snape's real interest had been to protect Lily, and Dumbledore did not keep her safe. He uses Snape's grief against him to persuade him that Snape must keep his side of the bargain, even though Dumbledore has not done the same.

Second, Dumbledore announces to the Wizengamot, not once but twice (at least) that Snape is a double agent. He says this to a room full of witches and wizards, at least some of whom are sympathetic to Voldemort (indeed, Barty Crouch Jr. is present and no doubt listening with great interest before himself being arrested). This is tantamount to signing Snape's death warrant. Now, instead of being a double agent, Snape is forced to be a quadruple agent--a follower of Voldemort who is loyal to Dumbledore but is forced to convince Voldemort that he is really loyal to the Dark Lord while still reporting to Dumbledore. It's no wonder he's surrounded by mistrust.

And third, Kim says that the reason that Dumbledore does not confide in Snape about his real intentions for Harry are because he does not dare take the chance that Voldemort might see that Snape knows the truth about Horcruxes. This does not hold up on examination for two reasons: one, that Snape, who has always been interested in the Dark Arts, might easily have found out about Horcruxes independently, and figured out that Voldemort was using them. Slughorn knew; Harry, Hermione and Ron knew. Why should Snape not know? And two, Snape has been hiding far more dangerous information from the Dark Lord now for years: that Snape has been betraying him. Why should Snape's Occulumency fail on the subject of Horcruxes? But Dumbledore does not tell Snape; he withholds information from him for no good reason, leaving Snape with the justified belief that Dumbledore does not really trust him after all.

So I cannot agree that this is, in fact, a "definitive" reading for Snape. It is detailed, and overall is very good, but it does contain flaws. However, any such book that causes the reader to engage in mental debate with the author and spend time arguing over the subject can certainly be said to be successful in its own way. I am glad to have this book and glad to have read it. show less

Lorrie Kim asserts that where Severus Snape is, there's the story. She then backs up her proposition with 324 pages of highly detailed analyses of Snape's roles, motivations, actions and relationships to other characters and events throughout the seven book Harry Potter series. Kim essentially retells the plot, following the original order of events, but from Snape's point of view, as we've come to understand him by the end of the series. The result, for the reader, is a much enhanced show more understanding of Snape and, indeed, all of the main characters, and an increased (if that's even possible) appreciation for J. K. Rowling's story-telling genius.

Severus Snape is a highly ambiguous character. He sneers at little children and ignores them or, even worse, mocks them while they seek his approval. He thoroughly dislikes Harry Potter, the hero, and hangs out with the arch-fiend of the story, Voldemort, but he is trusted by the purest of hearts - Hermione and Dumbledore. He is nasty looking, contemptuous and mean, but he holds in his heart, secretly, true love. He is a study in contrasts, once the reader is let in on the secret that he is a double-agent. Even then, the question looms - for which side, really?

Undertaking such an enormous task as closely analyzing the dense ambiguity of Snape through seven books occasionally requires Kim to hypothesize about Snape's behavior when there isn't enough textual evidence to directly support her thesis. To overcome such difficulty, Kim points out relevant patterns of action and motivation of the other characters that are supported by the text and then shows how Snape's character parallels and mirrors the same patterns, thus justifying her hypotheses through syllogism. This form of deductive reasoning means that the reader has to agree to the existence and similarity of the patterns, but Kim's assertions do hold water. And it's her fresh and insightful illumination of these patterns that awakens the reader's mind to the true nature of Snape's character and to the richness of Rowling's craft.

Snape: A Definitive Reading adds another level of enjoyment to the entire Harry Potter series. It's amazing how the reader's understanding of the characters and the storyline morphs and expands when seen through Snape's eyes. Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less