100 Books in 2018

22/ the casual vacancy by j. k. rowling

read: 16.03.18 - 24.03.18

book: The Casual Vacancy

author: J. K. Rowling

blurb: 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?

review: Unlike a lot of people who read this book, I didn't initially read it because it was written by J. K. Rowling. I read it because I has a character with OCD in it, and I needed to read it for an essay I'm writing about mental illness in literature. So I think coming into this book with no expectations meant I got a very different experience than those reading it because they were hardcore Rowling fans/ Harry Potter fans.

I loved this book. I thought it was incredibly well-done and executed, with a highly interesting structure and plot. While the premise may sound boring or dull, the stories within this book are captivating and raw. I think it really perfectly captured a snapshot of what rural life can really be like.

I thought all the characters were really well developed and interesting, and provided an insight into the gritty and harsh reality of life whether that be about unfulfilment in life or drug abuse. The writing flowed extremely well, and it was one of those books which was very easy to read because the story had a really continuous and engaging narrative.

This isn't like Harry Potter, it doesn't have dragons or magic, but it is a really incredible read about the reality and rawness of life.

rating: 9/10