‘Loveliest thing’: JK Rowling on ‘Harry Potter thief’s’ return to bookstore after 17 yrs

Seventeen years ago, JK Rowling, acclaimed author of the Harry Potter series of novels, had no idea that the world of magic she created would inspire an innocent incident of thievery in a riverside town of Kerala.

The author has reacted after Kerala resident Reese Thomas, who as schoolboy shoplifted a copy of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from a bookshop in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district in 2007, recently went back to the same shop as an author, carrying the stolen book.

‘Loveliest thing,’ says Rowling

Reacting to the incident, Rowling called it “the loveliest thing” and an incident that has made her happy, while cautioning readers against stealing books.

“I know I'll be accused of encouraging book stealing by sharing this, so please don't steal books, book stealing is bad. Anyway, this is the loveliest thing and made me really happy," the British author posted on X while commenting on a feature story on Thomas’ childhood escapade.

The said episode of theft has been recounted by Thomas in his debut Malayalam book titled 90s Kid.

The ‘heist’

Speaking to the media, Thomas, who works as an assistant director in Malayalam films, said Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released in 2007 when he was in Class 9. His parents didn’t buy the book for him as it was not in their budget and had instead asked him to lend it from a local library. Thomas’ friend dared him to steal a copy from the local bookshop if he was really keen to read it.

The idea appealed to Thomas who was a fan of Bollywood heist films like Dhoom and Don and he managed to flick a copy from the Muvattupuzha bookstore.

The incident sort of made him a hero among his peers at school.

While the initial moments were euphoric as he was not caught due to the absence of CCTV cameras in shops those days, he says the next time he went to the shop the shopkeeper looked at him with suspicion.

“I did not ever go to that bookshop again. It was a dark episode in my life,” he told Hindustan Times.

Life comes full circle

Now an author himself, Thomas after penning the episode in his own book, felt it was time to pay a visit to the shop again.

When he visited the shop with a friend last month, he carried a copy of his new book and the stolen Harry Potter book.

“Over the years, once I started earning, I wanted to pay for it, but I could not bring myself to because I was afraid to. This time, accompanied by a friend, I felt bold enough because my book was on sale there,” The Hindu quoted him as saying.

Thomas said Devdas, the owner of the book stall had long forgotten the episode of the missing book and warmly welcomed them.

Even though Thomas wanted to pay for the book, he said the owner turned it down.

Devdas instead made Thomas sign copies of his own book which were on display at the shop.

Ode to Rowling

After his favourite author, Rowling, reacted to the episode, an overwhelmed Thomas said the story has reached the person it was meant for.

“Years before, I did something and it’s reached all of the world now, most importantly it reached to her, the one and only JK Rowling, author of the masterpiece Harry Potter knows my story now. This made my day. The exact person I really wished to read was her,” he wrote on his social media page.

“In tears I could read her words saying she is happy now. I had read her life, her books, the admiration finally reached the exact space…I don’t know what exactly more to say now, this was completely unexpected…and yeah that’s it for the moment,” he said.