J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a fictional English town after a councillor’s death is The Casual Vacancy.
The novel was Rowling’s first published book for adults after the Harry Potter series. It is set in Pagford, a fictional English parish, where the unexpected death of parish councillor Barry Fairbrother creates a vacant seat on the local council. The resulting political contest exposes tensions involving class, poverty, addiction, family life, and local government.
Little, Brown and Company published the novel on 27 September 2012. Unlike Harry Potter, it is not a fantasy story and does not involve magic or a supernatural world. Its title refers to the council vacancy created by Fairbrother’s death.
The book was adapted into a BBC television miniseries broadcast in 2015. It is often confused with Rowling’s later children’s and fantasy works, including The Ickabog, but The Casual Vacancy is an adult contemporary novel.