What is the title of J.K. Rowling’s first published novel for adults, released in 2012?

The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first published novel for adults, released in 2012.

Published by Little, Brown and Company on 27 September 2012, the novel is set in the fictional English village of Pagford. Its story begins after the sudden death of parish council member Barry Fairbrother creates a vacant seat, or “casual vacancy,” on the council. The resulting political conflict exposes tensions involving class, poverty, addiction, and family life.

Unlike the Harry Potter books, The Casual Vacancy is a contemporary social novel with no magic or supernatural world. It was marketed as Rowling’s first novel for adults and attracted major international attention because it followed her best-selling fantasy series.

The novel was adapted into a three-part BBC television drama in 2015. The television version starred Michael Gambon, Rory Kinnear, and Monica Dolan. The book’s title refers to a real term in British local-government procedure, not to a character or location.