The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

      "When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.
      Pagford is, seemingly, and English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war. 
      Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems. 
      And the empty seat left by Barry on the town's council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?"




      J.K. Rowling's first adult novel certainly has a lot of adult content within. I found the many sexual references and sexual actions to be a bit alarming. There was also a very high level of crude language, as well as drug abuse (mainly teenage drug abuse). There was also a theme of unfaithfulness between husbands and wives. All of these things combined made it for a very troubling novel. I believe this was Rowling's purpose, however, as at the end we are left contemplating on human nature's selfish ways and the injustices happening all around us. This novel made me want to stand up and do more to help those around me. Unfortunately, with the mature themes, sexual references, and crude language,  this would not be appropriate for those wanting a clean read.

Buy it on Amazon.