The Casual Vacancy by J.K. RowlingMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you're considering reading The Casual Vacancy:
* DO NOT expect it to be anything like Harry Potter, because it's not at all. It is probably the farthest thing from Harry Potter.
* DO NOT expect a murder mystery. Although the preface of the novel is someone dying, there is no mystery behind his death. His death simply occurs to show us how it directly and indirectly affects citizens of Pagford.
* Keep in mind that this is an adult novel. If you're used to reading only YA novels, you may want to either reconsider reading TCV, or just be mindful that it will not be like the YA books you're used to reading.
* You should know that there are A LOT of characters. Somehow I actually found it pretty easy to keep them all straight in my mind--they are quite distinctive and therefore easy to differentiate. Just keep in mind that you need to concentrate and pay attention in order to recollect all the different characters when the perspective switches between them.
* DO NOT expect a juicy tale of death, deceit, and sultry love affairs. I found that there is very little about this novel that is glamorous and in fact, that is one of the biggest reasons that I liked it. This story is very real. It showcases the realness of life and being human.
* Be mindful that this book is not for kids or young teenagers. Due to the mature content I would recommend that only those who are age 17+ read TCV. Again, it is not juicy mature content that I am talking about; it is raw, gritty, disturbing mature content. Now I understand why JKR kept reiterating in interviews that this is an adult novel, not at all a novel for children. Some of the tough issues tackled in this novel are self-harm, drug addiction, rape, implicated child molestation, extreme OCD, domestic abuse, child neglect, and suicide.
* Realize that this novel is quite long and will not be a swift read. The introductions of all the characters initially takes a long time, but once that's done, the progression of the story picks up.
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I'll be honest. I never would have picked up this novel if J.K. Rowling had not have written it. My interest in it was because of her. My mindset was and still is that she is so amazing, I will read anything she writes. For this reason, I am glad that she wrote this novel because otherwise I would not have been brought out of my book-comfort-zone to read this. Sometimes it's good to come out of your comfort zone and explore something new. Although this is a totally different genre and story than Harry Potter, JKR is still amazing at creating a great story. She proves that she is not limited to one genre and can be a great author of very different projects.
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