Book #12: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Like everyone else in the world, I read this book just because it was written by J. K. Rowling. But I guess that that's why most people read most books--because they've read other things written by the author that they've enjoyed. And I was not disappointed in this book! It definitely turned into a page-turner. I couldn't put it down yesterday after I really got into it--I finally powered through it at 10:30 last night and then got up to finish the dishes.

The book is the story about a local election in a tiny little hamlet in England, and the way that people get worked up and involved in it in the community. It's a funny topic in one sense for me, since I've never thought about local politics in my life. But I really loved how Rowling used so many different characters to tell the story--every chapter was told from a different perspective and you feel like you get to know all of the people really well. I ended up feeling sorry for almost everyone in the story, in one way or another, even when they were pretty despicable or obnoxious characters (except for Fats--I never felt sorry for him; his cyber-bullying was enough to make me hate him). Rowling is a great storyteller and she creates these great characters. I also really loved reading all the little things that told how this book was set in England, which I kept forgetting until I'd run across words like "parish councillor" or "my mum" or something like that. That made it pretty fun to read.

The cons of this book: lots of swearing (which I feel bad reading while I'm holding Dane, haha--like I don't want it to rub off on him), and lots of depressing lives people are leading. Even when the characters are well-off, they always have sad stories or hidden pasts that haunt them or mess up their futures. I don't think this is necessarily the point of the book, but I can't help feeling so sad when I read about people who are so unhappy or just in such messed-up lives--because even though this is fiction, of course there are plenty of people who are living like this. People who have abusive spouses, cut themselves, are drug addicts, are cyber-bullied. It sounds cheesy, but it makes me grateful for my small, happy life and for the gospel.

All in all, I liked it. I think a great way for me to tell if I really enjoyed a book is if I get sucked in and have to keep reading it once I'm a third or halfway through--and I definitely did with this one. Also, if I keep thinking about the story once I've finished (a reading hangover, I've seen it called), it means it was a really great story--and that's happened with this one too. Well done, J. K.