When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

Found in St Vinnies in Narrabundah, ACT.

I hope that J. K. Rowling has it out of her system now, proving she can write stories in the raw; not limited to fantasy stories aimed at children. The book comes across to me as a reaction to prove she is not limited to only writing children's fantasies, so she decided to 'shock'.
I did skim sections (I read most of it though), and so many people featured, that I was confused who was who. Life was ugly; people were ugly; the story was ugly.
Proved it; time to move on.
I tossed up whether to score it five or six. Erred on generous.

To be released in King O'Malley's Pub in Civic, ACT.

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Picked up at the Canberra meet up at King O'Malley's today - thank you!

I enjoyed this, a great story. Sad and shocking, I couldn't put it down.

I'll either pass this on to a friend to read or bring to the next meet up.