snarry_reader's Journal

30th October, 2005. 3:55 pm. Review: Consanguinity Series, by Jay Tryfanstone

Title Consanguinity Arc.
Author: Jay Tryfanstone,

tryfanstone
Rating: R
Warnings None
Author's email tryfanstone at yahoo.co.uk
Author's website: http://www.geocities.com/tryfanstone/index.htm

Note: Scroll down the index page I've linked to, and read the first two short stories in the arc, "Humour," and "Melancholia" before going to the long, absorbing story that forms the last part, "Consanguinity."

Tryfanstone is a mature fanfic writer, who has written in several other fandoms before she came to HP. The "Consanguinity" arc was her reaction to Book 6: Snape becomes a prisoner and pariah after Voldemort's defeat, and Harry becomes his guardian. By the third story, both men have constructed post-war lives and careers, and the last story concerns how they work through all the emotional history that stands between them. This arc has, in spades, all the strengths that drew me to this author's other stories: an absolute mastery of subtle details; the ability to create emotions in the reader slowly, powerfully, and inescapably; and creativity and intelligence in simply staggering proportions. The story uses unusual (for hp slash) POVs to achieve delicate shadings, and shows that this writer is a technical virtuoso, as well.

"Consanguinity" is intriguing, outstandingly original, and ultimately heart-filling, without being at all sentimental. It is also emphatically post-HBP, and its depiction of Snape takes everything we've learned into account, and gives you a great deal to chew over in that regard. And its dialog is astonishing, at points. In moments of emotional duress, both Snape and Harry say things in this story that are so powerful, so succinct and devastating, that I was just knocked over.

Look, just forget my fancy adjectives and go read this story. It's this level of quality that persuaded me to give up sleeping, and join this fandom in the first place.

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