Synopsis:
After a popular parish council member drops dead from an aneurysm, the bucolic English town of Pagford comes undone over fears about how a new council member might upset the balance of power with the encroachment of council flats from the next town over.

Review:
The Casual Vacancy isn’t quite as high concept as JK Rowling’s more familiar works, but most good novels defy my particular brand of glib summarization.

I always enjoy a complicated soap opera and I appreciated how deftly Rowling wove all the story lines together. It didn’t take me long to get everyone sorted out, even though the relationships were pretty tangled. I do have to admit that the main reason I read it was out of curiosity, to see what else Rowling has up her sleeve. And this book is certainly a departure on just about every level. I was left a little cold by the ending and I’m not sure how long it will stick with me.