What is the title of J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a small English town?
Answer
The Casual Vacancy
J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a small English town is The Casual Vacancy.
The novel was published on 27 September 2012 and was Rowling’s first work for adults after the Harry Potter series. It is set in the fictional English town of Pagford, where the sudden death of parish councillor Barry Fairbrother creates a vacancy on the local council.
The resulting election exposes conflicts involving class, poverty, addiction, family life, and local politics. Unlike Harry Potter, the novel is a contemporary realist story with no magic or fantasy setting.
The title refers to the open council seat created by Fairbrother’s death. The book was adapted into a three-part BBC television miniseries broadcast in 2015. Its adult themes and social setting marked a deliberate change of genre for Rowling.