Are The Harry Potter Books Suitable For Adults?

I lent my pretty worn copy of ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’ to my 60 year old aunt last year and she finished the entire series within weeks or so. She kept texting me about how Lupin’s werewolf comparison to living with a chronic illness was so accurate. The books deal with some heavy subjects, but there’s also a lot of warmth and that’s probably why it’s so good for adults and kids. I think there are plenty of jokes that children won’t pick up on the first time around. It’s like ‘The Simpsons’ – you can watch it over and over again and there’s always something new that you had missed. Even Dumbledore’s history is like a Greek tragedy and the Horcruxes are just plain dark.

I feel that the later books, especially the Half-Blood Prince, were written for people who were growing up with Harry. Although there are many children reading the series, I have recently met a few retirees who love the audiobooks. I think that they enjoy the depth of the world-building in the stories. It is not a children’s story, it is life with magic.

Why can’t adults enjoy Harry Potter? I have seen adult book clubs discuss the motives of Snape, as one would study Shakespeare. While the writing is simple enough for children to follow, the main themes of the series are universal: betrayal, prejudice, war and its consequences. My coworker read The Goblet of Fire during her chemo treatment and said that the tension of the Triwizard Tournament was much like her own struggle to stay alive. The humor in the books grows as the series continues and becomes very sharp, such as Fred and George’s final goodbye in Order of the Phoenix. The politics in the book become murkier and it’s not ‘written down’ for children. Even the very satisfying epilogue, which some say is too happy and neatly wrapped up, is so much more powerful when you are an adult and can truly appreciate the closure that Harry and his friends have found.

I read The Philosopher’s Stone as a kid, but as an adult I got to see even more depth in the themes of loss, the struggle with bureaucracy and the morally gray area between good and evil. The way Dolores Umbridge is tyrannical is also somewhat relatable after dealing with office politics. The last books in the series, especially The Deathly Hallows, really explore the themes of sacrifice and trauma in a way that feels very adult and relatable to my current struggles.

It’s another great example of how Rowling has made something so fantastical and full of childhood nostalgia, yet still completely accessible and, in many ways, very complex for new readers too. Sirius Black and his storyline in particular is so full of deep meaning for adults around issues of family, freedom and more. And the audiobooks by Stephen Fry are the perfect comfort when you’re feeling stressed and need a break from the world. In a way they are the perfect ‘suitable’ read for grown ups as they meet you where you are – rather like a well brewed potion that tastes different with every sip!