“Get New Heroes”: JK Rowling faces backlash over new book featuring transphobic character

British author JK Rowling was slammed online after her new book, The Ink Black Heart, hit the stands on August 30, 2022.

As per Rolling Stone, the new book, which was penned under the 57-year-old writer's pseudonym Robert Galbraith, features a character named Edie Ledwell, whose plot appears to mirror what Rowling went through in recent years.

The official description of the book describes Ledwell as a co-creator of a popular cartoon who is "persecuted by a mysterious online figure" named Anomie. She gets criticized for being transphobic, ableist, and racist after one of her cartoons gets called out and is ultimately found dead a few days later.

Fans were quick to connect the new character to JK Rowling's present life, who is not new to being called out for her controversial and transphobic comments.

---

Twitter reacts to JK Rowling's new book

JK Rowling has been making headlines over the past few years for publicly supporting and making controversial comments on social media. In 2019, the Harry Potter author made headlines for supporting researcher Maya Forstater, who was fired from her job over transphobic statements.

In 2020, Rowling faced immense criticism after she mocked an article that used the term "people who menstruate" rather than "women."

After her new book was released, several Twitter users slammed Rowling for creating a plot that was full of "racism, anti-Semitism," "misogyny," and "fat shaming," while connecting the lead character's experience with her own life.

---

JK Rowling defended herself and her "fictitious" character

While talking to famed British host Graham Norton on his podcast published on August 28, 2022, JK Rowling revealed before her book release that the lead character was not inspired by what she went through in real life following her transphobic tweets controversy.

“I should make it really clear after some of the things that have happened the last year that this is not depicting [that]."

The author revealed that she had written the book way before the online backlash she faced in 2020.

“I had written the book before certain things happened to me online. I said to my husband, ‘I think everyone is going to see this as a response to what happened to me,’ but it genuinely wasn’t. The first draft of the book was finished at the point certain things happened.”

Rowling also clarified her stance on the blog, The Rowling Library, where she answered several questions about her new book. When a question arose about how much of the novel has been drawn from her life, she answered:

"I have never created a book — and this book certainly isn't created from my own experience — you know, with a view to talking about my own life. That doesn't mean, of course, that your own life experience isn't in the book."

However, Rowling did agree that a "couple of things" mentioned in the book happened to her as well. She said:

"I would like to be very clear that I haven't written this book as an answer to anything that happened to me. Although I have to say when it did happen to me, those who had already read the book in manuscript form were, 'Are you clairvoyant?' I wasn't clairvoyant, I just – yeah, it was just one of those weird twists. Sometimes life imitates art more than one would like."

As of now, JK Rowling has not responded to the online criticism she faced because of her new book.