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mhicks1988 's review for:
The Casual Vacancy
by J.K. Rowling
I feel that the marketing surrounding this book has done a disservice to it, JK Rowling, and readers. When I first heard that Rowling was writing a book for adults, I was excited! And rumors were it was a mystery, and I anticipated an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery, with black comedy and some poking fun at social mores.
The Casual Vacancy is not that. It is also not anything like the Harry Potter series. It is, however, a tribute to Rowling's skill as a writer. (Jo, if for some reason you are reading this, I do think you'd be a dab hand at a Christie-esque murder mystery. Just saying.) Some readers will inevitably be disappointed because it's nothing like Harry Potter and character-driven social tragedy is just not their cup of tea. I feel like Rowling's faithful following should be forewarned. The Harry Potter books were for everyone. The Casual Vacancy is not.
That all said, The Casual Vacancy is an excellent character-driven social tragedy with some delightful funny bits. Her prose is tighter, richer, and more vivid than anything she wrote for Potter. Her characters, while mostly not lovable, are all recognizable, with rich interior lives. Rowling delves into the ugly thoughts lurking below the surface, into classism, racism, and petty cruelty. While I'd argue that this novel isn't so much more depressing than the vast bulk of Deathly Hallows, it's darkness hits closer to home, because there's no veneer of fantasy to distort it.
What makes the book work is that Rowling gets it -- or at least puts on a good show of getting it. Whether it's the mind of a superior gossip, a horny teenage boy, a girl who's been bullied, or a slightly clueless social worker, she gets it. She understands both the need to help the disenfranchised and the frustration that problems of poverty and addiction never seem fixable. There's quite a lot of cursing in the book, but this is how a lot of people talk. The discussion of sex is frank, but it's not erotic. Everything "gritty" and "shocking" about the book is a part of how the characters experience their very small world.
It gets off to a slow start, and The Telegraph's list of characters may be helpful for keeping track of the large cast in the beginning. However, the narrative quickly sucks you in, both to see if things turn out okay for some characters and in hopes of seeing others punished. Whether or not the ending is cathartic I won't spoil, but I found it very satisfying, and I think it would be successful even if it was an unknown debut, instead of the return of a literary superstar.
The Casual Vacancy is not that. It is also not anything like the Harry Potter series. It is, however, a tribute to Rowling's skill as a writer. (Jo, if for some reason you are reading this, I do think you'd be a dab hand at a Christie-esque murder mystery. Just saying.) Some readers will inevitably be disappointed because it's nothing like Harry Potter and character-driven social tragedy is just not their cup of tea. I feel like Rowling's faithful following should be forewarned. The Harry Potter books were for everyone. The Casual Vacancy is not.
That all said, The Casual Vacancy is an excellent character-driven social tragedy with some delightful funny bits. Her prose is tighter, richer, and more vivid than anything she wrote for Potter. Her characters, while mostly not lovable, are all recognizable, with rich interior lives. Rowling delves into the ugly thoughts lurking below the surface, into classism, racism, and petty cruelty. While I'd argue that this novel isn't so much more depressing than the vast bulk of Deathly Hallows, it's darkness hits closer to home, because there's no veneer of fantasy to distort it.
What makes the book work is that Rowling gets it -- or at least puts on a good show of getting it. Whether it's the mind of a superior gossip, a horny teenage boy, a girl who's been bullied, or a slightly clueless social worker, she gets it. She understands both the need to help the disenfranchised and the frustration that problems of poverty and addiction never seem fixable. There's quite a lot of cursing in the book, but this is how a lot of people talk. The discussion of sex is frank, but it's not erotic. Everything "gritty" and "shocking" about the book is a part of how the characters experience their very small world.
It gets off to a slow start, and The Telegraph's list of characters may be helpful for keeping track of the large cast in the beginning. However, the narrative quickly sucks you in, both to see if things turn out okay for some characters and in hopes of seeing others punished. Whether or not the ending is cathartic I won't spoil, but I found it very satisfying, and I think it would be successful even if it was an unknown debut, instead of the return of a literary superstar.