Sorry, HARRY POTTER fans, this novel is strictly for adults.
J.K. Rowling, billionaire creator of the Harry Potter franchise, will publish her first non-fantasy novel THE CASUAL VACANCY on September 27th. The novel will likely be optioned for a hefty sum well before it hits bookstores in the fall.
Publisher Little Brown also released a brief summary of the plot: The story is set in Pagford, a charming little town with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Pagford’s internal strife comes to a head when parish councilman Barry Fairweather unexpectedly dies, and the race for his seat becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen.
That definitely sounds like an adult plot. It also sounds like it could be the summary for an episode of DOWNTON ABBEY or Masterpiece Theatre. Don’t get me wrong, I am capable of enjoying a good British period film, but I feel somewhat let down that her new novel is so drastically different. I will still read it to see if she is capable of escaping the “one hit wonder” label that many have applied to her.
Rowling was a very weak writer on the first Potter novel and each subsequent book was better and better. By the final book, I still felt her to be a little weak in the narrative but it worked for a younger audience. Now, the literary world will tear her to shreds.
What do you think of Rowling’s upcoming novel?
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