What is the name of J. K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a small English town divided by a council vacancy?

J. K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a divided English town is The Casual Vacancy.

Published by Little, Brown and Company on 27 September 2012, The Casual Vacancy was Rowling’s first novel for adults under her own name after the Harry Potter series. It is set in the fictional West Country town of Pagford, where the sudden death of parish councillor Barry Fairbrother creates an empty seat on the local council.

The novel examines class, poverty, addiction, family conflict and tensions between Pagford and the neighbouring estate of Yarvil. It is not a fantasy book and contains no wizarding setting. A BBC television adaptation, written by Sarah Phelps, aired in three parts in 2015.