The Cuckoo’s Calling by J.K. Rowling
The Cuckoo’s Calling was written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith in order to determine the extent to which her audience enjoyed her writing. She did not know whether it was the status that comes with her name, or her writing style that most compelled her readers – Ms Rowling was about to find out!
The plot of the story concerns a veteran detective Cormoran Strike who investigates a supermodel’s suicide. After losing almost everything and everyone in his life, detective Strike is down to his last client in his job as an investigator. He is presented with a case concerning a young model who fell to her death – which was written off as suicide, but Strike discovers that there is more to it than first meets the eye.
The book is very intriguing and creative but somewhat unrealistic, however with a fiction novel this can be acceptable. Writer J.K. Rowling had successfully sold 1,500 copies before the secret was revealed during a Twitter exchange between Rowling’s solicitor and his friend, which was then published in The Sunday Times. Immediately after this exposé, sales increased to over 5000 copies in just over an hour, clearly revealing Rowling’s colossal loyal followers and their high expectations of the writer. Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith Rowling proved to be very successful without her name being known. Rowling also stated that “It had been a pleasure to gain feedback under the name of another writer without the hype and expectations”. Words by: Jade Odusote
