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Cover of The Casual Vacancy

The Casual Vacancy

by J. K. Rowling

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A big novel about a small town... When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and unexpected revelations? A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.

Recommended by

Goodreads Choice Awards — 2012 · goodreads.com
Patrick Collison's Bookshelf · patrickcollison.com
"I thought that book was brilliant. When it came out and got such middling reviews I was mystified. I felt so lucky to have had my own experience with it."
By the Book: Ann Patchett · nytimes.com
"The honest answer is “The Casual Vacancy.” I bawled while writing the ending, while rereading it and when editing it."
By the Book: J. K. Rowling · nytimes.com