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| The Casual Vacancy |
Negative reviews daunted me from picking up this book earlier. Somehow, I can understand where those reviews came from. JK Rowling is best know for giving birth to the most-loved story of contemporary literature: Harry Potter. After the series ended, people were still clamoring for more. When she released Casual Vacancy, many probably expected, subsconsciously, that this is going to take the same tone as Harry Potter. It didn't and people were sorely disappointed and confused. Maybe I would have had the same reaction when I read it the time it was hyped up. After all, people--critics, even-- were practically labeling it as an epic fail. But I didn't read it when it was still making noise on the newstands and on blog sites. Because of the decision to let the hype die down before reading it, I was prepared with an open mind and a strong conviction that this book is legions away from Harry's story. Somehow, I believed that was a reprieve.
Synopsis:
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?
For the first few chapters of the book, I was under the impression that it will lean more on the 'politics' side of the story. I was constantly mentally preparing myself for a sudden onslaught of political jargons and lingos. (That was why it took me so long to finish it. I felt the need to put it down after a few pages for fear of being caught unprepared by unfamiliar terms.) It turns out, my worry is unmerited. Like the synopsis said, the story is about the secrets perennially governing the life of people in the small town of Pagford. And those secrets, once revealed by the casual vacancy, ignited a deluge chain of events that rocked the lives of people in the community.
Wrought with drama and startling twists and turns, Casual Vacancy will change the way people look at people and into humanity's inherent possession of both malice and benevolence.
I enjoyed this book more than I've expected. Having finished it, I've acquired this renewed faith in one of my favorite authors. Truly, JK Rowling is one of the best contemporary writers of our time.
This review can also be seen on my Goodreads account here! :)
After reading about 70 pages, I abandoned "The Casual Vacancy." And then after a year, I recently took it up again and managed to go the whole hog. If you could wade through the first 100-odd pages, you might find the proceedings interesting. Sure Rowling has an eye for details and is a good chronicler of human foibles. But then there are many authors who could write this kind of stuff. It is obvious that Rowling doesn't want to be remembered only as the Harry Potter-author, and "The Casual Vacancy" appears to be her fervent attempt to break free from that image trap. And it shows. The beginning is slow paced and one requires immense patience to read through it all, as Rowling rolls out one character after another, piling details upon details. The middle part is engrossing as the plot thickens, so to speak. But again, the ending is rushed and insipid. The sudden change of Fats is unconvincing and appears forced. The long and short of it is, you should forget that "The Casual Vacancy" is by the same author who wrote the 7-volume Harry Potter series. But then, you wouldn't have in the first place bought this book if it had not been by the Harry Potter-author.
ReplyDeleteHello, Neha! :) Wow, that was an impressive review. You raised very good points. I agree, I wouldn't have picked this book up if it weren't from the author of Harry Potter. And that is exactly my point. JK Rowling became one of my favorite authors 'because' of Harry Potter. Naturally, I would want to read this book and give it a chance. I did and I loved it. :) I did not forget that this book is penned by the same author who created Harry Potter. But like I said, I mentally prepared myself to separate its story from Harry's.
DeleteI'm not a book author nor am I someone who took up a class in Creative Writing, much less an expert on it but, I didn't think the ending was rushed at all. Sure, the ending had me wanting more but that's one of its many appeal for me. The ending did not need to reveal everything to understand how far the issues went.
Also, regarding Fats "change," I, personally, think he did not change in the same aspect you might be referring. Sure, we see him mellow and contrite but he's not really "changed." He's broken. As I can imagine how or why, he may or may not be the cause of two deaths and that's enough for a teenage boy's breakdown. I think he's angry and guilty and over all broken down to even feel the "need" to change.
Yes, I do agree that Ms. Rowling was trying to break free from being eternally known from the Harry Potter image, and yes, it showed from Casual Vacancy. But the fact remains that she can write just as good as any published author. I apologize if that may not make much sense or if I am contradicting myself a lot; this is because I may be wearing rose-colored glasses when it comes to Ms. Rowling. Haha. I totally respect your opinion and I totally applaud your honest points, but anyway, "to each his own," right? :)