What is the title of J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a small English town after a council member dies?
Answer
The Casual Vacancy
J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a small English town after a council member dies is The Casual Vacancy.
The novel begins with the unexpected death of Barry Fairbrother, a parish councillor in the fictional English town of Pagford. His death creates the “casual vacancy” of the title, setting off a local election and exposing tensions involving class, poverty, family life, and public responsibility.
The book was Rowling’s first published novel for adults after the Harry Potter sequence. It is not a fantasy novel and does not take place in the wizarding world. The title refers to a real parliamentary and local-government term for an office left unfilled between elections.