Just Read: Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
Monday, April 08, 2013
“Download Complete: Casual Vacancy (Unabridged) J. K. Rowling” says a notification on my Taskbar.
My heart beats wildly upon seeing the notification. In haste, I transferred the audio file, grabbed my earphones and finally pressed play on my mobile as I lay comfortably on my back.
“This is Audible. Hachette Audio Presents: The Casual Vacancy. Written by J. K. Rowling. Read by Tom Hollander. Part I…” goes the start of the audiobook. I listened in, shut my eyes as an overwhelming sense of excitement took hold of me.
J. K. Rowling, in my opinion, is a goddess and by saying this, you know that I am a fan… of her writing wits, imagination and creativity. I’ve read all seven Harry Potter books and no series have held my attention as Harry Potter did. Secretly, I’m yearning for a spin-off from The Casual Vacancy, perhaps a prequel, but the genre specifically states: Adult Fiction, so, I rest my case and without prejudice, I tried to approach the book with the idea that it would be something different from the Potter books that I've grown to love.
True enough, it is different. Rowling's first adult novel showcased some uncomfortable truths that perhaps changed my idea about England and all its glorious history, forever. The unrelenting cynicism and negativity in the character-loaded novel is over the top and while it is well-written in a literary sense, to me, it wasn’t enjoyable at all. Reading it left me feeling extremely depress and heartbroken. Can I just say, for the sake of time, part of me wish there is a magic wand to wave or a spell to cast just to make the horror in the story vanish? But not in The Casual Vacancy, I guess. In the end, there’s no hope and redemption akin to that of Harry's story, just the cold, harsh truth about the worst part of humankind.
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