What is the name of J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel set in Pagford?

J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel set in Pagford is The Casual Vacancy. Pagford is a fictional English parish whose residents become embroiled in a bitter local-election dispute after a councillor dies.

The novel focuses on adult social and political tensions rather than the magical world of Harry Potter. Its subjects include inequality, addiction, bullying, family conflict and the relationship between Pagford and a poorer neighbouring estate called the Fields.

The title describes the council seat left open by Barry Fairbrother’s death. This is a common point of confusion: The Casual Vacancy is not a pseudonymous crime novel and does not belong to the Cormoran Strike series. It was published under Rowling’s own name and became her first adult novel after the completion of Harry Potter.