Post-Potter Depression™
It hit me this morning, as predictable and implacable as an IRS auditor: Headache, malaise and fatigue, listlessness, loss of appetite, lack of interest in all other activities normally found pleasurable. The now-familiar symptoms, which appear to recur like clockwork every couple of years, decidedly point to a DSM III diagnosis of acute Post-Potter Depression™. Although the syndrome was identified more than a decade ago, the medical research community has yet to develop a cure.
To my surprised delight, late Saturday morning DH* presented me with the long-awaited prize: A brand spanking new, 8-pound, beautifully golden dust-jacketed first edition hardcover of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. I proceeded to express my considerable appreciation in exactly the manner that someone in my position would: By consuming the 700-and-whatever pages tome in as little time as humanly possible. In my own defense I must state that I feel I exhibited great personal discipline by delaying the start of my Potterathon until 9:30 Saturday evening, after having fulfilled the various social obligations I had made prior to the presentation of the precious piece of fiction.
DH* actually had the temerity to interrupt my Sunday perusal with the suggestion that the lawn was in dire need of attention from both myself and the vintage Lawnboy™ residing in our garage. In return, I had the temerity to suggest that if he truly wanted the lawn mowed this particular weekend, he would not have gifted me with the final Harry Potter opus.
I was pleased to finish the book off at 11:15 p.m. last night, just in time to further skew my already odd panoply of dreams, and today I am suffering the consequences. I have no access to the necessary ingredients for a polyjuice potion and have never quite gotten the knack for performing health and happiness charms.
So. Now what do I do?
* Most frequently: “Dear Husband”, but upon occasion may denote “Disagreeable Housemate”.
Zelda said,
July 24, 2007 at 3:23 am
I know how you feel, auntie. Reminds me of how empty and sad I felt when I finished His Dark Materials, the trilogy by Philip Pullman (The Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, and Amber Spyglass). I didn’t want it to end – I didn’t want to leave that world. I tried to slow down as I neared the end of the last book, but of course came to the final sentence, and was oh so bereft. (Same with The Lord of the Rings trilogy – the books, not the movies).
What do you do now? Start another book!! (Okay, you can grieve for a while – I’m sure Harry, the Weasley’s, et al feel like dear friends, after all – but then find another book and get crackin’!)
Frick said,
July 24, 2007 at 8:41 pm
just keep repeating to yourself “it’s only a book… It’s only a book…”
Corina said,
July 26, 2007 at 1:32 am
By the time my copy arrived from Amazon, late Tuesday evening, I was already on page 600+ on a pdf copy. I opened my box and realized that the print was way too small so I ended up reading the pdf version to the end. I didn’t start reading til Monday and finished late Tuesday, by the way.
I know what you mean, especially knowing that it is the final book in the series. Also, the epilogue makes it pretty tough to anticipate an adult Harry series, which I thought might be coming, until that epilogue. But then again, who knows?
My recommendation is that you begin another book. Mourn today. Begin another tomorrow.
auntiesmedley said,
July 26, 2007 at 2:54 am
I think she left it open for a new series, maybe “Harry Potter, The Next Generation”?
Or maybe she was just teasing us when Harry talked about having to go back and find the item he lost.
In any case, I don’t know HOW y’all could possibly be talking about moving on, when the grief is still so fresh and raw! Have you no respect for the depth of my love?
BONGO MIRROR said,
July 26, 2007 at 3:10 am
I have not yet even glanced at the insides of the new HP. My sweetie is reading it now. Hmm. Not quite right now. She’s at work. I could be reading it but she gets first go at it. We came to an agreement on that. It worked this way. I said, “you can read it first.” She said, “OK”.
Zelda: there’s a reason you felt sad at the end of His Dark Materials. The end is really sad. Here are a pair happy thoughts though: 1) On Pullman’s website, he says he’s writing a second trilogy and 2) the Golden Compass movie is coming out in December.
Corina said,
July 27, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Auntie…my oldest daughter has never read a HP book and has only seen one of the movies. Last night (Wednesday night actually) she came over and was feeling depressed so she wanted me to watch movies with her. And out came HP movies, one through five. Her choice. We watched two and the slept most of the day as we didn’t finish the second one til after 7 am. Now she wants me to round up my copies of the books so she can have a go at reading them.
HP continues.
davidrochester said,
July 28, 2007 at 9:31 am
The only antidote is to re-read a past favorite HP book. My personal fave is “Order of the Phoenix,” so I’m rereading that.
BONGO MIRROR said,
July 29, 2007 at 11:37 pm
I’m rereading them all. But, I’m a bit of a patient being. I waiting ’till my sweetie is done with 7 before I have a go at it.
Zelda said,
July 30, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Bongo, YES, I can’t WAIT for the movie to come out! Hurrah! Also, that’s wonderful news about another trilogy. w00t!
bibliomom said,
July 31, 2007 at 9:34 am
This has absolutely NOTHING to do with this post. Just now I was looking through my comments on my blog and decided to see what spam looked like. It seems that my wordpress thought that your comment was Spam. I fixed it and put it where it should be but just thought I’d boost your self esteem a little and tell you that you look like spam
Just kidding and thanks for the comment.
Onan da Barbarian said,
July 31, 2007 at 7:15 pm
So…what is this “Harry Potter” everyone is talking about??
Frick said,
July 31, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Or maybe she was just teasing us when Harry talked about having to go back and find the item he lost
Or maybe Harry and his brother Randy could go around trying to undue his bad deeds to get good karma again…no wait…that’s been done…
Zelda said,
August 1, 2007 at 12:12 am
Ewww, auntie looks like canned meat byproducts?
Jackie L. said,
August 11, 2007 at 4:22 am
Still mourning The End. You know she won’t publish the promised HP encyclopedia for five bazillion years.
The week after HP was released, my shrink and I spent a good twenty minutes of a fifty minute session rehashing HP7. But not before texting each other repeatedly to see where the other one was at in the book.
HI AUNTIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.
stevo said,
August 14, 2007 at 6:20 am
I, and Bibliomom, are the only two people on this planet that have not read a HP book. I will read the series, as soon as I learn the read the Chinese editions, the only ones readily available to me.
Famas said,
September 21, 2007 at 8:26 am
The depression i feel is really wierd right now..After the 6th book i ddin’t even really feed like reading it…Even once i got the 7th book, i didn’t start it until weeks after. I was immeadiately pulled back into Harry Potter and finished it within a few nights. Today i actually felt depressed for the first time in my life..I started reading the first one years ago and now its all over..I felt myself wishing my life could be as exciting as Harry’s. It seems like nothing can compare to the adventures of the famous trio over the years since i was a kid. I hope this depression will pass soon but i dont know.