What was the title of J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about Pagford’s fictional local election?

J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about a fictional local election is The Casual Vacancy.

The book was Rowling’s first published novel after the Harry Potter series and her first novel written for adults. It is set in the fictional English town of Pagford, where a vacancy on the local parish council triggers a bitter election and exposes conflicts among residents.

Unlike the Harry Potter books, The Casual Vacancy contains no magic or supernatural world. Its plot examines class, family tension, poverty, addiction, politics, and the effects of a boundary dispute involving a deprived housing estate. The novel’s adult subject matter and ensemble cast marked a deliberate change in genre and audience.

The title refers to the empty council seat at the center of the story. BBC One adapted the novel as a three-part television drama in 2015, with Michael Gambon, Julia McKenzie, and Rory Kinnear among the cast.