The Casual Vacancy

I've read J.K. Rowling before, namely the first two and a half Harry Potter novels.  I liked her character development but the Harry Potter stories got too repetitive for me.  I could relate to Harry and Hermoine and Ron Weasley though.  In The Casual Vacancy JK Rowling develops great characters again.  Crystal Weedon is a major character.  At first we think she is an impulsive juvenile delinquent in the small town of Pagford.  But Crystal is more than that.  She is a heroine and a villain.  She irresponsible and 100% more responsible than her own mother.  There is an opening on the town council because of the death of Barry Fairbrother, a local teacher, rowing coach, father, husband, and all around good guy.  As people mourn his loss and elect his replacement on the council, the true characters of the people in Pagford are illustrated.  Some married couples look successful on the surface but behind closed doors things are different.  Other families look like they are struggling yet the communication between the parents and the teenagers is much better than in the seemingly successful families.  This author does a great job illustrating the communication gap between teens and parents.  One of the ideas on the town council is funding (or not funding) an addiction clinic that supplies methadone to heroin addicts.  People are divided on this issue.  Small town gossip is another area of Pagford that is developed and we learn that the harshest, most judgmental citizens are so harsh because of their own issues.  I loved this story. Next month I need to present some books as possibilities in my book club meeting and I think I'll put this book on the list.