Irony
– got up in the night with a migraine. Battled it with pain meds
and ice packs for several hours until finally it subsided enough to
enable reading a book. The Casual Vacancy on
the shelf caught my eye so off I went to snuggle up with my cat and a
blanket thinking about Rowling's first adult book. I had no idea a
main character drops dead in the first chapter of a brain aneurism!
At 3 in the morning with a pounding head let me tell you that seemed
creepy and perhaps a little omen-ish. But I finished the book and am
well so... false alarm.
In
the small English town of Pagford there is much unrest. Many
prominent people have serious personal issues and some are not who
they pretend to be. We, as the reader get to see them in all their
dented and tarnished glory. Written in third person with many
characters to keep track of, there is no one to clearly identify
with. No character is all good or all bad, nor are any without
serious flaws. This book is mostly character study interjected with
social issues magnified by anger, prejudice, and angst. It definitely
has an edge. No pretty idyllic English quaintness at all. But I was
hooked on the first page. The writing is wonderful and I loved the
way Rowling slowly waltzes the reader into a man's life showing us
his lovely wife and family, lets us see his angst at disappointing
them and then BAM, the “casual vacancy” occurs. A casual vacancy
occurs when a council member cannot finish his term because of
resignation or death.
When
a pillar of the small community, Berry Fairbrother, drops dead he
leaves a beautiful young family, civic projects unfinished, and an
open seat on the town council. Multiple battles and social skirmishes
ensue. The rich snobs of the community seek an opportunity to rid
themselves of the poor neighborhood which includes a methadone center
by having it annexed to the nearby larger community. The local
physician, a Muslim, battles prejudice in the community but also in
herself with her inability to accept her imperfect child. A public
school teacher battles his mental illness. A nurse tries to protect
her children from her abusive husband. A councilman struggles to get
his son elected in Fairbrother's place. A young girl desperately
tries to save her brother from her prostitute-drug-addicted mother. A
man battles his obesity and his obsession with young women. And that
is only a sampling of the conflicts. No easy fixes or satisfying
closure to be found in this book either but you will be intrigued and
you will be forced to witness different vantage points of several
social issues. I like that in a book and I did like this book.
However, there were things I did not like and some very much. There
was too much, and I would say, overdone teen sex, drugs, and alcohol.
I am not averse to reading those things when they further the plot
and seem to ring true but here it seemed like Rowling might be trying
to make a point that she can write about current issues with grit and
reality, but it didn't feel so to me, it felt unnecessary and
contrived.
The
characters are well written, the multiple plots intertwine well, and
the writing style is much to my liking. I look forward to reading
more of Rowling's adult lit if she polishes her work a bit. Possibly
she should use a better editor? Could it be when an author is so
popular less attention is given to making a work more readable? Not
sure, but I am seeing more and more work recently which I and others
feel are good but should have been better. All that being said I am
still recommending this book to some friends. The cover art of my
edition is very pleasing, looking a bit retro in black and yellow.
The fancy font introducing each of the seven sections is a nice touch
and the sections each emphasizing a basic plot meshing together is
fun. A good work I say.
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