I was warned before I started this novel that it was not particularly uplifting. I think that's the only reason I was able to get through it. It's not an easy read. Not a fun one either. The story is real to the point of being painful. Honestly. this is not the kind of novel that I might have picked up just for the hell of it. I wanted to support Rowling and ultimately I'm glad I did. It's good to read something that makes you upset and uncomfortable sometimes, particularly when it also makes you think about important class issues. The Casual Vacancy is well written with narrative flare unique to Rowling. It's more than just a story about a town, it's more than a story about class differences, it's more than a story about drugs or sex or hate. It's a story about people and the individual goods and evils that people are capable of doing.