The Casual Vacancy

by J.K. Rowling

[clementine]

Some things to get out of the way before my review:

1) This is not a Harry Potter book. Not even close. I know that seems obvious, but I've heard of a lot of people who are disappointed because it is absolutely nothing like the HP series. (Which, really, just shows Jo's versatility as a writer. Stop pigeonholing her, y'all. Yes, Harry Potter was awesome. That doesn't mean she needs to be tied to it forever.)
2) Some people may enjoy The Casual Vacancy better if they detach Jo from it. Judging from all the "SHE RUINED MY CHILDHOOD" posts, this is a problem for people. Personally I didn't have an issue with it, but I know some people might be shocked by it, so just, y'know, try to pretend.
3) This book is not for everyone. This is partially because, no matter how hard we try, we will always have high expectations and we will always be comparing it to HP. This is also because it's long, character-driven, and slow, which is absolutely not for everyone. Finally, it's, well, kind of gritty. It's explicit and vulgar and at times very painful.
4) I liked this book.

So, I do like character-driven books. A lot. In fact, if a book doesn't have characters that I can connect with and who feel realistic, there is an almost 100% chance that I will not love it, and that it will not stick with me. I like a good plot, but to me plot is secondary to characters. So, although The Casual Vacancy gets off to a rather meandering start - and doesn't get exciting until at least halfway through - I liked it.

Because the characters are real. Although I did a good job of not comparing to HP, this is definitely something I was expecting from Jo. Her characters in the Harry Potter series - particularly the later books - are spectacularly realistic: conflicted, flawed, complex. The characters in The Casual Vacancy are the same. Many, many, many of them aren't even likeable. I kept thinking that near the beginning of the book: I don't like any of these characters. This wasn't a criticism. I didn't need to like them. I just didn't.

A lot of the characters do redeem themselves, or at least command some shred of sympathy even though they're pretty heinous, but ultimately it didn't matter to me, because they were, to borrow Fats Wall's term, authentic.

I liked the premise. I liked the exploration of Barry Fairbrother's impact on the community, the ripple effect his death has on Pagford. I liked that, although the only character named in the summary is Barry, and although there multiple POVs, the central character to the story is really Krystal Weedon. Everything pivots on her. Without Barry, she is the center of the community, whether they know - or like - it or not.

I love Jo's writing. I know it's not for everybody, but I love it. It's generally quite unobtrusive, but occasionally she drops these amazing little bombs. I think my favourite was when she described Howard Mollison as "extravagantly obese". I liked that even though the book was told from many characters' POVs, the narration maintains a sort of distance that allows for a broader view at Pagford. And, as always, I loved the attention to deal: the stolen watch appearing at the end, that sort of thing.

My least favourite thing was the end, to be honest. It picked up there and got exciting - and the chain reaction was written beautifully - but it felt a bit too overdramatic to me. It was just too tragic. I didn't hate it, but I found it to be a bit much.

I actually went into this cautiously, and with deliberately lowered expectations, and I came out really enjoying it. It wasn't perfect, but it proves that Jo is certainly not a one-hit wonder, and that she can write whatever the hell she wants.