Rating - 4/5
I think it must be said and repeated: The Casual Vacancy has nothing to do with Harry Potter! If you want to find something like the world's most famous wizard in glasses, go your way.
But before going further, here's the abstract:
Welcome to Pagford, a small town peaceful and charming English: opulent houses, its ancient abbey, its picturesque market place ... and his burden of secrets. Behind this facade idyllic Pagford is prey to the most violent storms and conflicts raging on all fronts, thanks to the sudden death of its most prominent notable.
Between rich and poor, children and parents, husbands and wives, are years of rancor, bitterness, hatred and lies, hitherto carefully concealed, which will come to light and, during a municipal election seemingly innocuous tip Pagford in tragedy.
One thing we can say is that JK Rowling was expected to turn. And this new novel has not left anyone disappointed. I started reading very worried. On one hand because I had heard that the first critics were less than enthusiastic. On the other hand, because the book has often been described as a detective story. And novels, it's really not my cup of tea (but hey, it's JK Rowling. Though it was a horror novel, I'll still read the new novel).
And in the end? I was pleasantly surprised. First, because I frankly do not see where the police were involved. In my opinion, a detective novel speaks of crime investigation, ... And this is not the case here. In fact, JK Rowling depicts the lives of Pagford that is messing up the death of Barry Fairbrother (who was not murdered, as I imagined before opening the book). The fight for his place at Municipal Council will reveal the hidden side of each.
Then I figured, it's not bad at all, this novel, on the contrary! For me, this is clearly not the plot that makes the strength of a way to take, and that is not where the interest lies. And this is a good thing, because this story is a bit light, and does not justify a novel as thick (500 pages in English). In my opinion, the plot is only there to reveal the characters.
For it is here that the full force of the novel, its characters. Very well written and described, they give us a fine specimen of human nature and its failings. Indeed, the new novel by JK Rowling is far from a fairy tale. The characters are mostly undrinkable, and the description of the company pretty black and pessimistic. However, the style of JK Rowling, his wry humor, do very well spend it all.
Actually, I was amused, these characters, with the narrowness of mind, problems of couples, and their pettiness. To be honest, the only thing that really annoyed me in this novel are few lengths arising from the simplicity of the plot, and the fact that JK Rowling went soft on the story line a little too much for my taste. The story line maybe a detective story but it's written without having any vulgarity, or the scenes very raw in the content. And that's what I was a little shocked and destabilized about.
Overall, The Casual Vacancy is a very good novel of manners, and proves that JK Rowling has talent to spare. It might have been good to shorten a hundred pages of this novel, however, I really enjoyed reading it: the characters have convinced me, it has that quite dark tone, and an "ok" ending, I would say.
