The book that I am in the midst of is J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy. I have wanted to read this book since it came out, but only just recently made the decision to get it.
The novel is about the aftermath of the death of Barry Fairbrother, a council member, in the town of Pagford. Although the town seems idyllic, it soon becomes clear that a war is brewing between its members.
It is difficult to not view J.K. Rowling’s writings like you would the Harry Potter series. But just because they are written by the same author, doesn’t mean that they will be similar.
Indeed, they are extremely different. While I can still hear the voice of Rowling that I know and love, it is adult. It uses vulgar language that belongs to the adult world. And there are less metaphors in this book as in Harry Potter because the issues are more overt. For example, werewolves in the Potterverse have been labeled by the author as metaphors for sexually transmitted diseases, especially AIDS. In Casual Vacancy, there are no metaphors for abuse. It is not taken lightly; it is quite explicit.
One of the aspects of the novel that I particularly like is how she sections off the novel. She does not use chapters in the normal sense. Instead, they are separated into the days of the week. The first day is Sunday, during which the actual death is described and then on Monday, everyone’s reactions are recorded. While the sudden introduction of the characters in just a few pages makes it a little confusing (it isn’t as confusing as the characters in As I Lay Dying, I have to admit), it emphasizes the fact that everyone experiences moments, days differently. Going a little off-topic: that is one of the major reasons why I am fascinated with creative nonfiction. When I write a piece based off of memory, I remember certain details that other people may not or I remember them in a different way.
One thing that I have always admired about J.K. Rowling’s writing is that she makes her characters so incredibly human. Some of her characters are not likeable in the slightest and some only have a few redeeming qualities and the same time others are good people that make mistakes every once in a while. A good writer can write about likeable and mostly good people, but a mark of a great writer is being able to write unlikeable characters.
Speaking of great writers… Looking back at all her books, I can definitely see how far she has come. In Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone, she definitely had talent and wit, but grew immensely by the time she wrote Deathly Hallows. Some have worried that she would loose her writing prowess after Harry Potter, but she hasn’t. If anything, she has gotten better.
It truly is inspiring to know that such a great writer and woman has overcome her struggles and has increasingly improved and honed her skills. It gives hope to me, an emerging writer, that I too can improve and be successful.