Even in the world of mega-authors, the success story of JK Rowling is unprecedented.
What are the odds of going from dirt poor to billionaire – all while creating a franchise that has such an incredible impact as Harry Potter? And what on earth do you do for an encore once you finish the Harry Potter series?
Well, how about a novel for adults? Rownling’s new book is titled The Casual Vacancy, which will be published by Little, Brown and Company, hitting virtual and physical store shelves on September 27.
Essentially, this is a political story, as the cover shows a box with an X mark in it, like you’re voting for something, and it takes place in a town known as Pagford.
As the synopsis tells us, “Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll,” with an old fashioned market square, and abbey, “but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.”
So when there’s an available space in the town parish, there’s a heated election, and the story will apparently cover all the turmoil, drama, and treachery behind the scenes. As the synopsis concludes, this is “a big novel about a small town.”
And from what little we know so far, it’s a complete 180 from Harry Potter. Considering that Potter was enjoyed by families, there should also be plenty of young adults reading along with their folks, hoping it will be as absorbing and entertaining as the Potter series, even though this is a completely different trip. It will also be interesting to see what the book ultimately says about the political process on the eve of the election.
However the book turns out, there’s no doubt it will be a success. As this story was being finalized, we checked Amazon’s listing, where it’s #35 in books, #7 in Psychological Thrillers, and #47 in Contemporary. It is also currently #10 on Barnes and Noble, which is pretty remarkable considering the book is still months away from release.
