A vote in support of A Casual Vacancy

[matt819]

I did a quick search for JK Rowling's newest, A Casual Vacancy, and found near universal dislike, with the gist being that since the characters are unlikable the book is unlikable. Another is the irritation that there is not one "main character."

I've been listening to the audio version and am about two hours from the end. While I can't predict just which even worse things will happen to which unlikable character, I am enjoying the book. Granted, maybe "enjoy" isn't the right word, but you get the idea.

Reading (listening) to the book is like watching a train crash in slow motion. You know that the crash is inevitable, it will be painful, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. In the process, Rowling has done a stellar job in creating utterly horrid, but utterly believable characters who are utterly unable to respond to the crises in their lives without making matters worse, whether it's teenage angst, midlife crisis, or older men and women unable to change the cynical ways that they view the world around them.

One reasonably fair criticism is that "it's already been done." In a sense the book is the latest version of "Peyton Place," a painful exposition of the contrast/conflict between peoples' public and private personas, but really, isn't that the essence of all fiction (and probably some non-fiction as well)?

In any case, I just thought I'd weigh in and see if any others share my view.