The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter is my life. I was and still am obsessed with the series about the boy wizard from Surrey. Harry Potter charmed out the reader buried within me, and I am eternally grateful. J.K. Rowling is my idol, the kind of writer and person I wish I could be. She is, in the truest sense, a story teller. She changed the world for the better and created this vast community and force for good. Despite her success, J.K. never forgot where she came from, choosing to leave her money in Great Britain so that her large portion of taxes will help the Benefits program on which she relied. 

That said, I'm unsure about The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling's newest and only non-Potter-verse novel. As opposed to staying up until midnight and purchasing three copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows so that my sister, mother, and I would not have to share, I waited. The book was released in early October. I waited until my birthday on October 8 to get it. Actually, due to some snooping I figured out it was a birthday present earlier in the week, but didn't end up opening it for a few days after my birthday. 

I was putting off reading The Casual Vacancy because I was afraid. What if the magic wasn't there?

That's the problem. The magic isn't there. The book isn't about Hogwarts or the Ministry of Magic. It's about the small English town of Pagford and the death of one of its politicians. Granted, I'm nowhere near the finishing the book, it's strange for me. I keep waiting for Dumbledore to appear and save the day. 

The writing is still Rowling's signature style, yet it's more elevated and mature. The shock value of "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH" by the maternal Molly Weasley gives way to flippant uses of "shit" and "fuck" by foul-mouthed Pagford citizens. The spontaneous obscenities are akin to overhearing one's grandfather make an innuendo. 

I'm going to give the rest of the novel a chance, but I know it is doomed to fail. Harry Potter was the pinnacle of my childhood, and no other book will ever compare. It is unfortunate that The Casual Vacancy is forced to try.