J. K. Rowling “The Casual Vacancy” released on Sept 27
This week marks J. K. Rowling’s highly awaited return to the literary arena—not that she ever really left—with her first venture into adult fiction. “The Casual Vacancy” releases on Thursday, Sept 27, with many a celebratory launch across Chicago and countries worldwide. Award-winning nonprofit bookstore Open Books in River North rings in the publication with a grand kickoff event on Sept 27 at 8 pm.
“The Casual Vacancy” doesn’t exactly come right on the heels of J. K. Rowling’s last novel; “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” flew onto shelves five years ago, which has left critics ample time to sharpen their knives in anticipation of her next move. There’s certainly no shortage of people who wondered what J. K. Rowling could whip up in the aftermath of the Harry Potter phenomenon.
As Rowling herself notes in this week’s issue of the New Yorker, there’s no escaping a slew of criticisms, what with the coupled pressure of jumping into adult literature and attempting to follow up her own staggering body of work: ‘“I thought I’d feel frightened at this point,” she said. “Not just because it’s been five years, and anything I wrote after Potter—anything—was going to receive a certain degree of attention that is not entirely welcome, if I’m honest.”’
For the many readers that have grown up with Rowling and still look forward to her new, albeit Potter-free, offering, Open Books has planned a release party for “The Casual Vacancy” capable of curing the Potter-starved with a costume contest, trivia game, and performance by “wizard rock” group Tonks and the Aurors. The night also includes readings by Rachel Bertsche, Michael Beckett and Sheila Johnson, as well as 20% off on used books and pre-orders of “The Casual Vacancy”.
Those looking to pick up a copy and satisfy their Potter cravings should RSVP at the store or shoot an email to store@open-books.org.
