The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the metropolis of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled marketplace square and a historical abbey, however, what lies behind the pretty facade is a city at the battle.

Rich at battle with poor, teens at battle with their parents, wives at battle with their husbands, instructors at battle with their pupils… Pagford isn’t always what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry at the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the most important battle the metropolis has yet seen.

Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and surprising revelations? A massive novel about a small city, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.