What is the name of J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel for adult readers about the town of Pagford?

J.K. Rowling’s 2012 adult novel about the town of Pagford is The Casual Vacancy.

Published in September 2012, The Casual Vacancy was Rowling’s first novel after the Harry Potter series. It is set in the fictional English parish of Pagford, where the sudden death of a parish councillor creates an empty seat on the local council. The resulting political contest exposes conflicts involving class, poverty, addiction, family life, and public services.

The title refers to the vacant council position, not to a magical object or a missing character. This point distinguishes the book from Rowling’s fantasy writing and from her later detective fiction under the Robert Galbraith name.

The novel was marketed for adults and received a television adaptation by the BBC and HBO in 2015. Michael Gambon, Rory Kinnear, and Monica Dolan were among the cast members. The book’s setting and social concerns make it a sharply different work from the Hogwarts novels.