Which J.K. Rowling book features the fictional town of Pagford?

The Casual Vacancy features the fictional town of Pagford.

Pagford is an English town whose local politics and social divisions drive the novel’s plot. The story opens after the death of Barry Fairbrother, a parish councillor, creates a casual vacancy on the local council. The vacant position becomes the focus of competing views about poverty, public services, and the nearby housing estate of the Fields.

The novel’s title refers to the constitutional term for an empty elected position. It is not a reference to a vacant house or a magical opening. This political meaning is central to the book’s structure, because the council contest exposes conflicts among Pagford’s families and institutions.

The Casual Vacancy was published in 2012 and was Rowling’s first novel for adults after Harry Potter. Pagford is entirely fictional, although the book uses recognizable features of English local government and village life. The setting therefore supports a realistic social novel rather than a fantasy adventure.