A Casual Vacancy

by J.K. Rowling
Hennepin County Library audiobook 15 CDs
read by Tom Hollander
genre: adult fiction

I only made it through seven of the CDs (not even halfway!). I have wanted to read this since it came out, but my curiosity could not overcome my dislike. Hollander's vocal work was wonderful, but the story was just too negative. Referred to as a "big novel about a small town," this book reminded me of Sinclair Lewis' Main Street. Nasty, small-minded people. Very little to like about it.

I had to make notes because there were so many characters:
Simon - abusive / running for parish council
Ruth - nurse
Andrew - angry teen / wants Gaia / BFFs with Fats
Paul - little brother

Cubby / Collin Wahl - administrator / teacher, mocked by kids, nervous disorder, inordinately attached to Barry Fairbrother
Tessa Wahl - school counselor, has some deep dark secret
Stuart "Fats" Wahl - nasty teen boy

Barry & Mary Fairbrother - he dies of a brain aneurism at the outset of the story (leaving the casual vacancy of the title), she struggles with grief and being a single mom

Howard Molisand (?) - I never quite caught their last name, deli owner, nasty human being, obese
Shirley - wife, also nasty but covers it in smothery sweetness, adores her son

Miles Molisand - pathetic boor, appeases his parents, smug lawyer
Samantha - his wife, chesty and showy and terribly unhappy
Lexi
Libby

Paminda & Vikram Jawanda - She is a g.p. and was a close ally of Barry's on the council. He is a stunningly gorgeous heart surgeon.
Sukvinda - one of their children, feels unworthy and is bullied badly. She cuts herself. Gaia seems to be her only friend.

Gavin - commitment coward, partner in law with Miles, target for Samantha's rage and frustration
Kay - social worker, trying to get Gavin to treat her as a partner
Gaia - Kay's daughter, stunningly gorgeous, unhappy to have moved from London to Pagford

Terri - druggie mom who can't parent
Crystal - her teen daughter who is managing the best she can, with lots of the F word and misbehavior, was on Barry's rowing team and lost an advocate when he died
Robbie - 4 years old and still in diapers

So much nastiness - Simon's abuse, Sukvinda's cutting, Andrew's use of porn, the F word, . . . and general meanness, selfishness, and greed. I found myself not really caring about these people, except perhaps Crystal. But there is too much of this story to extract one thread. The smallness of Pagford and everybody being in everybody else's business just didn't hold my attention enough.

Kudos to Rowling for branching out from her Harry Potter books, but I'm not yet a fan of her adult fiction.