What is the name of J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a fictional English council election?

J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a fictional English council election is The Casual Vacancy.

Published in September 2012, the book was Rowling’s first novel for adults after the Harry Potter series. It is set in Pagford, a fictional West Country town, and begins when parish council member Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly. His death creates the “casual vacancy” in the council, leading to a contentious local election.

The novel examines class, poverty, addiction, family conflict, and tensions between Pagford and the neighbouring Fields estate. Unlike the fantasy world of Harry Potter, it is a contemporary social novel with no magic.

Readers sometimes confuse this book with Rowling’s Cormoran Strike crime novels, which she published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The Casual Vacancy was published under Rowling’s own name. The title refers to the vacant council seat, not to a missing person or an empty position at a school.