The Casual Vacancy

Author: J.K. Rowling
Narration: Tom Hollander
Duration: 17 hrs, 55 mins
Publish: Little, Brown Book, Sept 2012
Type: Audiobbook
Rate: 3

 Synopsis: When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little 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 town’s 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 Review

I am an admirer of J.K. Rowling. I find her style very remarkable and entertaining. But while, The Casual Vacancy was remarkably detailed, I found it difficult to get through the book in its entirety. Although the characters were intricately written with real life afflictions and problems, the story overall didn’t hold my interest with the same zest appeal as her other books. It seemed to take a long to connect the characters with the center of the definition of casual vacancy and even then I didn’t see the connection of all the character perspectives tying into the casual vacancy.

I pre-ordered the book, back in August of 2012, but after months of trying to get through it I saw light at the end of the tunnel. I believe had the narrator not done such an interest job, excellently differentiating between character voices and tones, I may have not made it through. 

The Casual Vacancy seemed to be nothing more than intricately woven day-to-day interactions and feelings of about eight or more people that lived in a small town. In the beginning I understood the detail and circumstances surrounding the death of Barry Fairbrother, but then it took a left turn into a really long conversation about each other and their interactions and memories of Barry and less about the vacant council seat. Other than interesting details of drugs, sex, and unhappy marriages, I found the story very difficult to finish. I rate this book at 3, but would not recommend it. 

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