The title of JK Rowling’s first adult book has been unveiled, after the success of the popular Harry Potter series. The book, The Casual Vacancy, will be published worldwide in hardback, e-book and as an audio download and CD on 27 September.
“The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry’s success has brought me,” Rowling said.
The story of The Casual Vacancy is centered around the death of Barry Fairweather, whose unexpected passing shocks the local villagers of Pagford. Publishers Little, Brown & Co said: “Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war.”
The company describes the tale as being “blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising”.