#42: The Casual Vacancy

Rowling, J.K.. The Casual Vacancy. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2012. Print. 503 pages.

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SETTING: The town of Pagford in South West England.

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SUMMARY: The Parish Council of Pagford has been long divided over the issue of whether or not to separate themselves from the bordering, lower socioeconomic community, known locally as "The Fields."  After Pagford Parish Councillor Barry Fairbrother's death, the small town is sent into a frenzy, with each side of the Fields issue rallying to get one of their own to fill Fairbrother's Council seat.  

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FAVORITE QUOTE: "Gavin saw a grave purely as a marker for the place where a corpse was decomposing; a nasty thought, yet people took it into their heads to visit and bring flowers, as though it might yet recover." - Part 5, Chapter 10, page 453.

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I had a vague memory that J.K. Rowling recently published her first novel since completing the Harry Potter series, and I was able to find a copy at the library.  I had absolutely no idea what to expect, and was actually quite worried I'd be disappointed because, let's face it, how can you top Harry Potter?  Seemed like a worthwhile venture nonetheless, so I took the chance.  

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Things I liked about this book:

1. The detail!  The main storyline is actually quite simple and nothing to fawn over.  But Rowling's ability to draw the reader in with wonderfully detailed script and dialogue, just as she did in the Harry Potter books, was again made evident in this novel.  I immediately became absorbed into this book, staying up late at night to read just one more chapter, because she manages to make you fall in love with certain characters from the start.  You're rooting for some, and vehemently want others to fail as retribution for their horrible nature and acts.  This book had nothing to do with magic, but her writing ability creates magic from everyday occurrences.
2. The characters.  This novel has real characters.  Going off of the first point again, Rowling's inclusion of such detail, from describing personalities and emotions to the physical surroundings, gives the reader a very realistic feel for the characters.  She creates people you would very likely encounter in everyday life.
3. The discussion of social issues.  Rowling incorporates a number of very important social issues, including drug abuse, child neglect, rape,  and self-harm, to name a few, into the story in a very fluid and beautiful manner.  
4. The build up to the ending.  This novel is a masterpiece, written with such beautiful structure, and the ending is pure finesse.
5. The Sikh family in the story.  Pagford is a very small, mostly white town with one prominent Sikh family.  The family faces deep rooted racism from certain community members because they see the family as different and a threat to the Pagfordian ways.  Rowling does an exemplary job describing the life of this family, and does so in a knowledgeable way.
6. The writing.  It's beautiful.  I've never appreciated a book as much as this one.  

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There isn't a single thing I didn't like about this novel's writing, content, etc..  Instead, here is a list of characters I didn't like in this book:

1. Shirley Mollison: her self-centered behavior is ridiculous.  She's oblivious to everything but herself.  I wanted to smack some sense into her.
2. Howard Mollison: her equally ridiculous husband.
3. Simon Price.  Abusive SOB.  I would have been very happy if he had been carted off to prison at some point.  But to Rowling's major credit, she portrayed this character in a very realistic way and the manner in which his part of the story concludes is unfortunately what probably happens to most abusive partners and parents.

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Rowling is a genius.  Her talents create pure magic.  This book is, to put it simply, beautiful.  I think I've used that word to describe the book at least ten times in this post.  I can continue gushing about how much I LOVED this book for hours.  I am so impressed by Rowling's writing ability, and I wouldn't be surprised if this novel is adapted into a movie.  If she writes another novel, I will be sure to read it ASAP.

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Recommend?  YES!!!!!  One of my top ten favorite novels ever, without a doubt.