In Progress: The Casual Vacancy

So, we all know how I feel about J.K.Rowling.

Brilliant writer, but I dislike her publicity stunts.

That being said I did really want to read her new book which I thought was a murder mystery.

It's not.

It's a character study I guess. I'm still not sure though I'm over 200 pages in and I'm haven't quite figured what I'm reading. Everyone is an asshole.

I jumped on Goodreads to see if I was alone in feeling that this book was not up to snuff.

What I found was a lot of J.K. Rowling fans saying she's super awesome and don't compare it to Harry Potter.

Why would I ever compare a super mundane story to Harry Potter?

Then I ran across this review from Entertainment Weekly, and feel much better about how I view the book.

"Rowling seems determined to distance herself from the innocent pleasures of wizards and Quidditch, and The Casual Vacancy piles on the unpleasantness — rape, child abuse, suicide, self-mutilation, mental illness. It's all just too much: When the novel finally arrives at its predictable and heavy-handed ending, what started as a lively comedy of manners has turned into an overwrought slog."

I still intend to finish the book for now- I mean I've made it through worse, but it was not a gripping or enlightening tale like I anticipated.
The writing is still brilliant, but the subject matter might not make it worth it.