I have been waiting for the 27th of September a while now, eagerly anticipating Rowling's creation after a span of five years. Her interviews about this book before the release were vague and the first reviews that came in were mixed. Before I buy a book, I usually research on it, wondering if its worth the buy. However, for this one, I knew the reviews wouldn't matter. I had to read it for myself. And read it I did.If anyone was waiting for a Harry Potter like comeback, they will not find a glimpse of it in The Casual Vacancy. Rowling has deliberately steered clear of all things magical and focused on the stark reality of a Muggle life, a life where foolish wand waving wouldn't solve your problems. A world where there are things worse than Horcruxes, Inferi and the Unforgivables.
Rowling has ventured into the adult world, where parents and children are at loggerheads, rape, drugs and foul language are aplenty and foolish prejudices have lasting and fatal consequences . This world doesn't have a good and a bad guy. The good doesn't triumph in the end and the bad aren't victorious either. It might be a dreary book for some, with hardly a story line but Rowling's characters and their muddled lives pull her through. Her main protagonist, Barry Fairbrother is deceased and the story centers around him and his support system - the lives he affected and the ones that wished him gone. Rowling hasn't put in a single likeable character in here. She mocks you throughout her book, making you believe there is one and she stamps on them when the next page turns. Those who prefer a fleshy storyline and a definite closure in the end - whether good or bad will certainly be disappointed. This book has strong characters that almost overrides the storyline and become more than the book. This book leave you in a limbo, slightly depressed, helpless and deflated about the world.
The Casual Vacancy delves into the life of an Indian Sikh family as well. Apparently, the Sikhs have taken offence
at the the way Rowling has described Sukhvinder. Sukhvinder is the black sheep of the family, both her brother and sister straight A students in the little town of Pagford where everyone knows everyone. Sukhvinder is overweight,mildly suicidal, dyslexic and constantly bullied by Fats Wall and Andrew Price. Her parents are Vikram, a handsome heart surgeon who is lusted after by several women in Pagford and Parminder, a doctor as well, who is perpetually scowling and in an arranged marriage with a man she respects but doesn't love. I rolled my eyes at the article on Times.One character amongst the 4 perfect other Indian characters that is flawed and we are in an uproar.
It is unfair to compare Harry Potter with the Casual Vacancy. The reception of the first two books of Harry Potter was met with scorn and disinterest. Rowling has already created a niche for herself and her publicist can be the laziest person on earth but her books will still sell. She seems unconcerned with the reviews really, almost knowing what everyone will say. But she must know that there are people who, even though, are mighty depressed that she isn't writing another book on Harry Potter, still believe that Casual Vacancy and her books to come will still have her wonderful prose, fascinating characters and a tiny trace of magic that will always linger...
