The Casual Vacancy

By J.K Rowling

Little, Brown and Company

Tragicomedy

Released in 2012

568 pages

In the small town of Pagford, Barry Fairbrother, a councillor dies and leaves a seat on the Parish Council, a 'casual vacancy'.

I just wanted to say a few words: Read it! Read it! and Read it! J.K Rowling is not just a witch. She is a goddess!

CHARACTERS:

- Barry Fairbrother: Member of the Pagford Parish Council and coach of the Winterdown girls rowing team

- Mary Fairbrother: His wife

- Fergus: Their oldest son

- Niamh and Siobhan: Their twin daughters

- Declan: Their youngest son

- Gavin Hughs: Barry Fairbrother’s close friend and squash partner. A lawyer in practice with Miles Mollison, in a complicated relationship with Kay Bawden

- Howard Mollison: Member of the Pagford Parish Council, owner of the town delicatessen.

- Shirley Mollison: His wife. Also a member of the Pagford Parish Council and administrator of its website

- Miles Mollison: Their son, a lawyer. Partners with Gavin Hughs

- Samantha Mollison: Miles’ wife, owns a shop in Yarvil

- Libby and Lexie: Miles and Samantha’s daughters who attend school outside of Pagford.

- Patricia Mollison: Howard and Shirley’s daughter. Lives in London; “rarely mentioned.”

- Maureen Lowe: Howard Mollison’s business partner in the delicatessen, in place of her deceased husband. Catholic and aging

- Parminder Jawanda: Member of the Pagford Parish Council, physician in Pagford. Close friends with Barry and Tessa

- Vikram Jawanda: Her husband, a thoracic surgeon

- Jaswent Jawanda: Their oldest daughter

- Sukhvinder Jawanda: Their middle child. Unpopular, recently befriended by Gaia Bawden. Member of the Winterdown girl’s rowing team coached by Barry Fairbrother.

- Rajpal Jawanda: Their youngest son

- Tessa Wall: Guidance councillor at Winterdown, close friends with the Fairbrother

- Colin “Cubby” Wall: Her husband, deputy headmaster at Winterdown. Considers Barry Fairbrother one of his closest friends

- Stuart “Fats” Wall: Their son. Best friends with Andrew Price

- Ruth Price: A nurse at Southwest General Hospital. Friends with Shirley Mollison

- Simon Price: Her husband, works at the local printer

- Andrew “Arf” Price: Their older son, best mates with Fats Wall. Fixated on Gaia Bawden.

- Paul Price: Their younger son

- Kay Bawden: A social worker recently relocated to Pagford from London to pursue her relationship with Gavin Hughs. Given charge of the Wheedon case

- Gaia Bawden: Her daughter. Deeply antagonistic to her mother, Gavin and Pagford, but has befriended Sukhvinder Jawanda

- Krystal Wheedon: Troubled and troublemaking teen from the Fields. Member of the rowing team, beginning to bond with Barry Fairbrother. Receives counseling from Tessa Wall

- Terri Wheedon: Her mother, a heroin addict enrolled in the Fields addiction clinic

- Robbie Wheedon: Krystal’s half-brother of three years old. His care usually falls to Krystal, who is determined not to lose him to foster care