The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling is a fictional drama about a small provincial town in Engl&. Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, leaving an empty seat on the Parish Council. In the midst of the following electoral battle, in the seemingly idyllic town, ugly truths & hushed wars are uncovered. The story is written from the perspectives of many different characters, giving us an insight into their inner minds adding strength to the reality, (often bleak) surrounding them. Expect plenty of swearing & graphic details, dramas & deaths: a child cuts herself to relieve her misery, another drowns. The detailed observations go beyond the individuals, & extend to the life in the Field estate & the whole small town of Pagford, offering startling thoughts on race, poverty, class, politics, drugs, prostitution & rape. The book joins the comic tragedy genre, & sometimes is funny but also filled with raw cruelty & despair. This is a full-on drama suitable only for an adult audience, as at the end there is no wand to wave, no spell to cast to dissipate the misery.