The Casual Vacancy

Well that was depressing! The whining of an entire cast of selfish, small minded, unlikable characters fills the nine hours it takes to read this over long novel. The only possibly likeable character dies in the first few pages and yet even he is a typically naive bleeding heart who spends all his time trying to save the unsaveable while ignoring his own wife and children. I kept reading, hoping for a positive message in the end. It never came. Krystal and Robbie were always going to be victims. Rowling should stick to Harry Potter. She does fantasy far better than harsh reality.

It’s been a week since I finished and I’m still thinking about this book and it’s characters. The book is unlike other Rowling books and in a different style than most authors dare to attempt. There is no main character. Her depth of character development for each person in the story had me mesmerized. The authors observations of complex people and her ability to be empathetic enough to understand and create logical thought patterns for all sorts of people made me wonder at her people watching skills. To create so many actions and reactions around a single event for so many characters with so many different life experiences and views would almost seem to require psychological training. I had some disappointment in the turn the story took, but only because I’m used to the sappy happy ending. This is an incredible accomplishment of a book and I’m amazed at it’s author’s daring.

I won’t lie, most books by JK Rowling I find really hard to follow in the beginning. This was no exception. I found myself reading, flipping back to the previous page to try and remember who is being introduced. Once the introductions were over and I was done trying to remember who’s family was who’s, I really started to enjoy the book and was eagerly waiting to see what happened next. I loved all of the intricacies of the stories and how characters I thought I wouldn’t care to pay attention to, really evolved and developed a good narrative. So while the beginning was a bit of a headache for me, I definitely don’t regret starting this book.

If I had borrowed this book from the library, I probably would not have finished it. I only purchased the book because of the author and felt obliged to finish it. True, the last chapter tries to tie the lives of all the characters together, but I have no idea what the point of the book is. It is filled with sexual activity among teens, among adults, sexual innuendos, drugs, abuse, prejudices, jealousies, etc. the worst elements of humanity. I do not see how these incidents develop the characters. Also, admittedly, I am from the US and find the British language and jargon difficult to understand in some parts and distracting.

I had read the first chapter of the The Sorcerers Stone in 1997 and decided that it would be great for my 9-year-old daughter but just not my cuppa Amortentia a most Confusing Concoction, indeed! I had become a confirmed Muggle (not a fan).

21 years later, Rowling has risen to #1 in my list of modern authorsahead of my erstwhile fave, Stephen King!

Her eloquent and elegant depiction of modern sociopolitical life in a small English township stole my literary heart! She channels my favorite author of all time Catherine Ann Porter. Hmmmm Porter . . . Potter . . . perhaps there IS a psychic connection here!

Ill now consume all of Rowlings post-Potter repertoire and maybejust mayberevisit Hogwarts Station. Thank you, JKR, for making my Kindle a better refuge than ever!

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