The Casual Vacancy - J.K. Rowling

[Jane B]

Pagford and it's inhabitants are not very nice. Lurking under the cobble stones, hanging baskets and sweet typical English village setting is a hotbed of greed, corruption, drugs, under aged sex, slander, adultery, bigotry, racism, bullying, rape, child neglect , teens who cut themselves, domestic violence, child abuse, poverty...and there's a casual vacancy on the Council...anyone want the job?

[Jane R]

No thanks, but what a page-turner the book was. I guess you'd call it a character-driven tragicomedy, with so many complex and vividly drawn characters that I needed to keep a list to refer back to. But I think the novel showed J.K. Rowling's skills as a storyteller, the ease with which she weaved the characters in and out of each others' lives made for a great read.