The Casual Vacancy
By Kate Stringer
And I thought a dark wizarding lord's attempt to murder a baby was depressing.
I think I stopped comparing "The Casual Vacancy" to "Harry Potter" when I realized there was more swearing and sex in the first two pages than in the entire seven book "Potter" series.
On Sept. 27, J.K. Rowling released her first novel for adults, "The Casual Vacancy". The story takes place in a small English town called Pagford, but that's about as cheery as it gets. Within the first five pages, the main character Barry dies, leaving a vacant position in the local parish council. The fight to obtain his seat reveals a town that is entirely despicable, yet entirely real.
Social status trumps concern for a sexually abused teenager. A family's obsession with work ethic masks a dyslexic daughter's obsession with cutting. Sex is sold in exchange for love that doesn't exist.
While it takes seven books for Hogwarts to crumble, Rowling pulls apart the bricks of Pagford page by page. The broken characters creating havoc inside their broken world is difficult to witness, yet Rowling's intense network of characters coupled with her witty writing makes her reader pay attention.
"The Casual Vacancy" has a magic of its own that makes it worth the read. It might contain more dementors than cheering charms but the message is the same. Whether they exist in the Gryffindor common room or the slums of Pagford, Rowling shows that these broken characters are not unlike ourselves. And that is magical.
