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When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade 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 parish 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?
A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.
Why do you think J.K. Rowling decided to start the novel with the last hours of Barry Fairbrother? Besides leaving the empty council seat, what effect does his death have on Pagford?
Was there any character in the book that you related to and/or felt bad for? Was there anyone you liked? Anyone you hated? Why?
The song "Umbrella" by Rhianna bookend the novel. Discuss how this song can be considered the theme song of the novel. How does it apply to the situation that the people of Pagford and the Fields live in?
The signifigance of Krystal's name is important. She is a prism through which other characters' negative and positive characteristics are revealed. How did this effect the book's ending?
There are a lot of inter-related characters and it can be hard to keep them straight, especially at the beginning. Some members had better luck with the audiobook version.
This is a complex book about a very insular group of flawed people. The characters are very-well drawn but not very likable for the most part. I enjoyed this book but a lot of people I know did not.
"The Casual Vacancy"by Maria U. (see profile)01/06/14
This would be great for character discussions as the author allows the reader to become quite familiar with the many characters in the book. Although the setting and characters are not in an... (read more)
This book was very boring, there were too many characters, and I found it hard to follow.
"A Realistic Book by a Fantastic Writer"by Nicole A. (see profile)06/10/13
Overall, this is a really good novel. It was a little slow going at first because she has to take time to introduce the many different characters, but once it started moving I couldn't put it down. This... (read more)
"Couldn't even finish the book"by Stacie S. (see profile)05/21/13
This is one of the few books that I just stopped reading. I ended up paying the maximum fine at the library & just returning it without even finishing the book. It was so boring! It was also filled with... (read more)
"Go back to Harry Potter, JK! You were good at that."by Rebecca A. (see profile)04/08/13
Nothing to speak of. If it weren't for her name, I doubt it would ever have been published. Unremarkable.
