Lots of good points. Some a little more tenuous than others. Of course, with our appreciation of the non-linear nature of much of Rowling's writing, there are some other possibilities. It may be that this is a garden path which we're being lead down, only for it to be subsequently subverted, with the birth of the Strike-Ellacott twins, Teddy Thierry and Lucy Pat. Or, it could be that there's an alternative parenting scenario, adoption, fostering, surrogacy, IVF, co-step-parenting the products of the ill-conceived clinches with Bijou and Ryan(foreshadowed by Shanker?)... With naturally all sorts of classical allusions, symbolism, echoes and reflections along the way.
New here, so haven’t read everything. I was looking for discussion of Running Grave but found this.
I think this theory is antiquated and absurd. A woman doesn’t have to be “sterile” to not reproduce. I’d be profoundly disappointed if the choice is taken out of Robin’s hands by the “deus ex machina” of infertility.
Personally, I don’t think there needs to be any subplot related to Robin’s parental status. Believe it or not, women have full lives outside of whether or not they breed. Just like men! This entire book series would be complete with no baby-related content. It’s a detective story not a soap opera.
But we know from HP that JKR loves to pair people up heterosexually and give them babies, so I suppose it’s to be expected.
I see a big barrier to this storyline. For us readers to find out about it, Robin would have to change her mind about wanting a baby, and start trying to get pregnant. Then she'd have to be unsuccessful. The father would most likely be Murphy, since Strike doesn't want children. Robin isn't the type to trap him. Deciding she wants a baby with Murphy would be weird after Strike told her he loves her.
Ed has summarized my feelings nicely. It’s impossible to know if Rowling is foreshadowing: Bijou’s pregnancy by Strike? Robin’s sterility, or pregnancy by Ryan? Both women pregnant? Or will Strike 8 introduce an entirely new rabbit trail?
As much as I rather expect to see Strike confront at least the specter of raising a child not his own, there are simply too many possibilities—some buttressed by tantalizing clues and some largely speculative—to put stock in any theory that rests on an author so adept at misdirection.
You fellows are going off the rails! Sometimes a suicide is just a suicide. There would have been the constant threat of Charlotte if she were still a character. Rowling made her too crazy. When I read it, I thought, "Thank goodness, I can't stand that character!" She is sort-of the Strike series' invisibility cloak.
And sterile because of chlamydia? It would have been tested for after the rape. And though there are mistakes in medical understanding within the books, anyone who has been raped any where in the world might even get treated for chlamydia, not just tested. And far from sterile, I think it far more likely that she is going to become pregnant by Murphy because of 4 months off her birth control, and some misstep in her protection. Also, Bijou is pregnant with Strike's child, not that guy she is trying to pull a Chisholm on. If Rowling is going to advance this relationship, they need more speed bumps to make it "good" fiction.
Aside from all the mythological evidence you give, I remember back to one of the novels (forgive me if I don’t remember which one off the top of my head - Lethal White?) where when Robin was having a therapy appointment, Strike wondered if she was going to a fertility specialist. Why would he even be thinking along those lines? I thought at the time that this was a random and strange thought for him to be having. If you are looking at ring structure isn’t Lethal White the turn/center? This could be one of those Rowling gems of a clue.
I really like the idea of Strike being the father of Bijou’s baby. I will not be happy if that happens but I could see Rowling doing that for all the reasons you listed above.
How can we listen to the first podcast? What have I missed? I need to program an AI bot to check every place I know of where serious readers post ideas and comments, because ai can’t even keep track of new podcasts!
Lots of good points. Some a little more tenuous than others. Of course, with our appreciation of the non-linear nature of much of Rowling's writing, there are some other possibilities. It may be that this is a garden path which we're being lead down, only for it to be subsequently subverted, with the birth of the Strike-Ellacott twins, Teddy Thierry and Lucy Pat. Or, it could be that there's an alternative parenting scenario, adoption, fostering, surrogacy, IVF, co-step-parenting the products of the ill-conceived clinches with Bijou and Ryan(foreshadowed by Shanker?)... With naturally all sorts of classical allusions, symbolism, echoes and reflections along the way.
New here, so haven’t read everything. I was looking for discussion of Running Grave but found this.
I think this theory is antiquated and absurd. A woman doesn’t have to be “sterile” to not reproduce. I’d be profoundly disappointed if the choice is taken out of Robin’s hands by the “deus ex machina” of infertility.
Personally, I don’t think there needs to be any subplot related to Robin’s parental status. Believe it or not, women have full lives outside of whether or not they breed. Just like men! This entire book series would be complete with no baby-related content. It’s a detective story not a soap opera.
But we know from HP that JKR loves to pair people up heterosexually and give them babies, so I suppose it’s to be expected.
I see a big barrier to this storyline. For us readers to find out about it, Robin would have to change her mind about wanting a baby, and start trying to get pregnant. Then she'd have to be unsuccessful. The father would most likely be Murphy, since Strike doesn't want children. Robin isn't the type to trap him. Deciding she wants a baby with Murphy would be weird after Strike told her he loves her.
Ed has summarized my feelings nicely. It’s impossible to know if Rowling is foreshadowing: Bijou’s pregnancy by Strike? Robin’s sterility, or pregnancy by Ryan? Both women pregnant? Or will Strike 8 introduce an entirely new rabbit trail?
As much as I rather expect to see Strike confront at least the specter of raising a child not his own, there are simply too many possibilities—some buttressed by tantalizing clues and some largely speculative—to put stock in any theory that rests on an author so adept at misdirection.
'He had a real 𝘪𝘥é𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘦'
You fellows are going off the rails! Sometimes a suicide is just a suicide. There would have been the constant threat of Charlotte if she were still a character. Rowling made her too crazy. When I read it, I thought, "Thank goodness, I can't stand that character!" She is sort-of the Strike series' invisibility cloak.
And sterile because of chlamydia? It would have been tested for after the rape. And though there are mistakes in medical understanding within the books, anyone who has been raped any where in the world might even get treated for chlamydia, not just tested. And far from sterile, I think it far more likely that she is going to become pregnant by Murphy because of 4 months off her birth control, and some misstep in her protection. Also, Bijou is pregnant with Strike's child, not that guy she is trying to pull a Chisholm on. If Rowling is going to advance this relationship, they need more speed bumps to make it "good" fiction.
Aside from all the mythological evidence you give, I remember back to one of the novels (forgive me if I don’t remember which one off the top of my head - Lethal White?) where when Robin was having a therapy appointment, Strike wondered if she was going to a fertility specialist. Why would he even be thinking along those lines? I thought at the time that this was a random and strange thought for him to be having. If you are looking at ring structure isn’t Lethal White the turn/center? This could be one of those Rowling gems of a clue.
I really like the idea of Strike being the father of Bijou’s baby. I will not be happy if that happens but I could see Rowling doing that for all the reasons you listed above.
How can we listen to the first podcast? What have I missed? I need to program an AI bot to check every place I know of where serious readers post ideas and comments, because ai can’t even keep track of new podcasts!