J.K. Rowling published The Casual Vacancy in 2012.
The novel was released on 27 September 2012 by Little, Brown and Company. It was Rowling’s first published novel for adults after the completion of the seven-book Harry Potter series, making its publication a significant change in audience and subject matter.
The Casual Vacancy is set in the fictional English town of Pagford. Its plot begins after the unexpected death of Barry Fairbrother, a member of the local parish council, creates a vacant seat and intensifies long-standing conflicts within the community. The story deals with class, poverty, politics, family tensions and social responsibility.
Readers sometimes associate the book’s release with the end of Harry Potter in 2007, but Rowling’s adult debut came five years later. It was also adapted as a BBC television miniseries, which first aired in 2015.