海角大神

If, as F. Scott Fitzgerald once proclaimed, 鈥淭here are no second acts in American lives,鈥� J.K. Rowling is proving there are in British ones.

And third and fourth, it seems. The once-single mother who survived on welfare, then struck platinum-status with her seven-book series on the magical world of Harry Potter has reinvented herself again, this time as a novelist for an entirely new audience 鈥� adults.聽

Rowling鈥檚 post-Harry era begins Sept. 27 with the release of 鈥淭he Casual Vacancy.鈥� The new novel is a 512-page tale of class warfare, morality, and small town politics set in an idyllic fictional English village.

The question on everyone鈥檚 mind: Whether Rowling can successfully crossover from her stratospherically triumphant reign as a children鈥檚 author and creator of the 450-million-selling Potter books, which made her net worth almost $900 million and set the bar for forthcoming books frighteningly high, to well-received adult novelist.

This much is clear: 鈥淭he Casual Vacancy鈥� is no 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� and Rowling, thankfully, makes no apologies for this decidedly different track. Set in the fictional English village of Pagford, the book begins as a 鈥渞ural comedy of manners鈥� that builds into a portrayal of class warfare, strewn throughout with treatises on social welfare. Following the death of Pagford council member Barry Fairbrother, the well-heeled town is pitched into a divisive battle about its connection to Fields, a neighboring town characterized by its public housing and poverty. Historically, Pagford extended a hand to Fields 鈥� children from Fields could attend primary school in Pagford (鈥渁 place of flower baskets and other middle-class comforts) and the town also ran a drug-treatment clinic that served many in Fields. But with the death of council member Fairbrother, Pagford鈥檚 鈥渁nti-Fields faction sees an opportunity to rid Pagford of this burden.鈥�

After reading the 512-page novel and interviewing the famously reserved Rowling, writer Ian Parker shared his thoughts in a 10,000-word feature in the New Yorker.聽

鈥淲ithin a few pages, it was clear that the novel had not been written for children,鈥� Parker writes. 鈥淭he Casual Vacancy,鈥� after all, is a tale of 鈥渃lass warfare set amid semi-rural poverty, heroin addiction, and teenage perplexity and sexuality.鈥�

鈥溾��But reviewers looking for echoes of the Harry Potter series will find them. 鈥淭he Causal Vacancy鈥� describes young people coming of age in a place divided by warring factions, and the deceased council member, Barry Fairbrother 鈥� who dies in the first chapter but remains the story鈥檚 moral center 鈥� had the same virtues, in his world, that Harry had in his 鈥� tolerance, constancy, a willingness to act.鈥�

Even Rowling found similar themes. 鈥淚 think there聽is聽a through-line,鈥� the author told Parker of the New Yorker. 鈥淢ortality, morality, the two things that I obsess about.鈥�

But, by most accounts, the similarities end there. For those accustomed to Rowling鈥檚 more traditional, buttoned-up children鈥檚 fare, 鈥淭he Casual Vacancy鈥� is most certainly not that.

There鈥檚 this: 鈥淭he leathery skin of her upper cleavage radiated little cracks that no longer vanished when decompressed.鈥� And this, about a lustful little boy who sits on a school bus 鈥渨ith an ache in his heart and in his balls.鈥�

Some have asked Rowling whether she felt some responsibility for her band of youthful fans who grew up reading Harry Potter and would now, surely pick up 鈥淭he Casual Vacancy.鈥� 鈥淭here is no part of me that feels that I represented myself as your children鈥檚 babysitter or their teacher,鈥� Rowling told the New Yorker. 鈥淚 was always, I think, completely honest. I鈥檓 a writer, and I will write what I want to write.鈥�

Following the unprecedented success of her Potter series, it would have been easy for Rowling to continue writing Potter adventures, or at least, more children鈥檚 books. With this new adult novel, she drummed up the courage to branch out and take a risk.

Writes the New Yorker鈥檚 Parker, 鈥淚 asked her if publishing the new book made her feel exposed. 鈥業 thought I鈥檇 feel frightened at this point,鈥� she said. 鈥楴ot just because it鈥檚 been five years, and anything I wrote after Potter鈥�anything鈥攚as going to receive a certain degree of attention that is not entirely welcome, if I鈥檓 honest. It鈥檚 not the place I鈥檓 happiest or most comfortable, shall we say. So, for the first few years of writing 鈥楾he Casual Vacancy,鈥� I kept saying to myself, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e very lucky. You can pay your bills, you don鈥檛 have to publish it.鈥� And that was a very freeing thought, even though I knew bloody well, in my heart of hearts, that I was going to publish it. I knew that a writer generally writes to be read, unless you鈥檙e Salinger.鈥欌�澛�

鈥淎uthors, and especially successful authors, are expected to keep producing more of the same,鈥� writes the UK鈥檚 Telegraph. (The curse, if you will, of the Harry Potter phenomenon.) 鈥淭o change genres can upset their fans.鈥澛�

In an autobiography A.A. Milne of Winnie-the-Pooh fame complained 鈥渢hat the artist who has early success with a painting of a policeman is expected to paint policemen forever,鈥� as the New Yorker writes. 鈥淚f you stop painting policemen in order to paint windmills, criticism remains so overpoweringly policeman-conscious that even a windmill is seen as something with arms out, obviously directing the traffic.鈥� Although Milne is best known for his children鈥檚 books centered on that lovable bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, he attempted at various points in his career to explore all genres, including sketches, plays, mysteries, novels, short stories, even war pamphlets 鈥� with mixed success. 鈥淎s a discerning critic pointed out,鈥� Milne wrote, 鈥渢he hero of my latest play, God help it, was 鈥榡ust Christopher Robin grown up.鈥� So that even when I stop writing about children, I still insist on writing about who were children once.鈥�

Though we have yet to get our hands on a copy of 鈥淭he Casual Vacancy,鈥� we wager to say Rowling has already accomplished something remarkable in having the courage to walk away from the 鈥渆asy success鈥� of another Potter novel or even another children鈥檚 book and leap into a new genre. With 鈥淭he Casual Vacancy,鈥� she is attempting to escape the curse that accompanies any smash success.

As we page through this new, and no doubt very different piece of the Rowling canon, we鈥檒l do our best not to superimpose upon every second character a certain beloved boy wizard we once knew. Because whatever Fitzgerald said, everyone deserves a second act 鈥� and a fresh read.

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.