The Casual Vacancy - Review

Warning. This review contains spoilers for the HP series.

Dear Past Reader of Harry Potter,

In the fifth book Sirius says “the world isn’t split into good people and death eaters.” In most books, there are good guys and bad guys. In Gatsby, Tom is so dislikable and Gatsby is so likable and their actions and the language used represents this. It’s the same with every book, there is always “good guy” and “bad guy” but, I guess, in most books, there’s a clear protagonist.
The Casual Vacancy was J K Rowling’s way of reminding me of this. I found myself caught up in my own head trying to work out who I liked and who I didn’t when it is written from different view points so everyone is a good guy and everyone is a bad guy. It is written in her classic 3rd person yet almost 1st person format and of course J K Rowling’s complexity and beauty in the raw emotions of the book. I find her forever enchanting.

I found Pagford, the setting for the horror, though very extreme, the backdrop was very British. The events were shocking, but in the same way that Harry’s bedroom was a cupboard (an extreme) the estate he lived on is very very accurate to British society, Pagford was beautifully British. The church, the river, the names of the roads, the delicatessen, the boy bands (sidenote, oh my fury over one direction, though this one seemed a little more liked the Wanted. Ms Rowling, if you ever do read I would love some clarification, which type of boy band are you basing this band off?) were oh so very British.

I also deeply approve in the BBC doing it as a drama. Could be a little more than a PG, if you know what I mean. They’re not kidding when they call it her first novel for adults.

Even though, if HRH Ms Rowling is reading this I’ve probably annoyed her with my constant comparison to Harry Potter because I do understand that she wants to escape this mindset of “children’s author,” Harry taught me a lot, and Pagford made that knowledge relevant.

However, the beginning is a little slower than the middle and end and sometimes I would have found it hard to track all the characters if I had not plotted all the characters and their relationships to each other.

Coverwise, I really like the simplicity and I love fonts used and the contrast between the two. I think the person in charge of font design was a genius. Really, I truly do but I don't love the colours of the cover particularly. I wouldn't have used primarily primary colours. Oh look at my atrocious alliteration.

The characters are infuriating and accurate and beautifully developed at the same time and I did pick a side (I picked Barry’s side) because OH SOCIETY WHY HAVE YOU MADE ME PICK SIDES IN BOOKS? I found the teenage plot line most interesting because that is my year at school and that is most relevant to me (mind you, I don’t do most of the stuff in the book, actually, all I do is um, go to school, am I sheltered or is J K shocking her audience?)

If you are old enough then I would recommend this with every ounce of my grief stricken heart because J K Rowling did it again.

Beautiful and brilliant.

Yours faithfully,

Sophie