The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

Goodreads Summary:

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?

My Thoughts:

I wanted to love this book when I heard that it was JK Rowling releasing a non fantasy book. As it turns out, I only half liked it. It was a bit slow for my liking and the characters didn't give me a reason to like them. I found that this book was a perfect example of why I am always a little freaked out by small towns and I will never willingly live in one if I can help it. The back stabbing and constant calculations were exhausting to me. Not only is this a picture of local official politics but it is also a picture of social politics. JK points out how much people suck and how evil we are to one another, she does this quiet well. In that respect the book is excellent, I really hated most people by the end of this book. 

The character development was good, I just didn't like any of them. I did like that the first part of the book tied into the ending of the book but they were both really depressing. I have to wonder if anyone who lives in small towns is at all happy or normal. Do any of these people have anything to enjoy or look forward to?

The writing was what we have come to expect from JK Rowling but I just didn't love the story. 

I would recommend this book to the curious JK fan but beyond that I would only recommend this if you like unlikable characters and sad situations.

While writing this review I was listening to an episode of Lost Girl.