A Wayfarer in Pagford
A review by Andry Chang for
The Casual Vacancy
The novel by J. K. Rowling
 |
| The Wayfarer arrived at Pagford Square |
I can’t
believe myself. Me, the Wayfarer, traveler of worlds of fantasy got myself in
Pagford, a small town not too far from London.
Getting off
the inter-city bus with my backpack on, I walked towards Pagford Square. As I
set foot on the pavement there, I felt envigored by the fresh air that caressed
my lungs. I looked around.
“There it
is,” I muttered, walking towards a building just ahead.
Instead of an
inn, I went into a café and sat in a corner. My legs were killing me.
I glanced
around and talked aloud, “Oi, waiter?” But no one came.
The three
guests sitting on the bar and tables looked adamant – they were just busy with
themselves, reading a book, sipping coffee and talked with each other.
Just then, a
girl came half-running towards my table. She was dark-skinned and about
sixteen, wearing a white dress and an apron.
“Ah, I’m so
sorry, sir. Just got busy out back with my boss giving me tasks,” said the
waitress. “We’re kind of short-handed right now. Well, what would you like,
sir?”
Wearily yet
patiently, I said, “One hot Hazelnut Latte and a slice of your Homemade Bacon
Sandwich.”
“Right away,
sir!” The waitress dashed towards the counter.
It took her
long to finally presenting me with my orders. Yet, I thanked her and began to
dig into my meal.
“Err… you’re
not from around here, are you sir?” said the waitress almost abruptly, with a
frown.
I finished
chewing with a ready answer, “Well, that’s obvious, from my backpack, my
accent, my looks and all.” Elementary, Watson.
“And not from
England either.”
I nodded.
“Mind if I
sit here?”
“No problem.”
She sat and
extended a hand. “I’m Sukhvinder. What’s your name?”
“Just call me
Andy,” I said. “Mind if I call you ‘Suvi’?”
“Sounds nice,
yeah.” Suvi smiled. “Where are you from?”
“My hometown
is Jakarta.”
“Jakarta
like, the capital of Indonesia?”
“Right you
are.”
Sukhvinder’s
eyes and nostrils widened with interest. “So, tell me, what brought you from
Jakarta all the way here, to Pagford? Let me guess, is it because of Joanne’s
book?”
The
straightforward question deserved a straight answer. “Partly, yes.”
“I knew it,”
said Suvi with a frown. “And the other part might be…”
“To meet and
talk with a Pagford citizen in that story. You, for one.” I pointed at her with
my chin.
“Me? I…” The
young girl seemed distraught all of a sudden. “If it’s about the Casual Vacancy
incident, everything I want to say to you are written in Joanne’s book. No
less, no more.”
“Haha, that’s
okay, you don’t have to recite the whole story.” I soothed her frown with a
smile. “Just a casual meet-and-greet. I’ve already got everything I need from
the book.”
“Well, now
that you meet one of us here, I want you to know what you’ve got from Joanne’s
book.”
I looked
straight at Suvi’s eyes. “Firstly, I want to say this. ‘God is in everyone’s
soul, yet society tends to seek the devil within’.”
“And what
else?”
“And… when
‘politics’ come in the picture, all hell breaks loose.”
Sukhvinder
fell silent. Something in my words must’ve triggered something inside her. My
guess is it was an unpleasant, painful, if not traumatizing memory. The memory
of friends came and gone. Of trust gained and lost, and even lives lost.
Of innocent, everyday
people turned into “monsters” when their secrets were unraveled by
The_Ghost_of_Barry_Fairbrother. Who was to blame? The so-called “ghost”? The
Casual Vacancy of political power? In a small, almost rural town of Pagford?
 |
| From Pagford with love |
“True,” said
Sukhvinder, her tone turned more serious. “The past incident have brought the
worst from some people and the best from some other. But then, who’s the real
culprit and the real hero here? All we can see are the victims and… the people
who pulled the trigger…”
This time, silence was upon me. It took courage to say what’s next. “I think, the true
culprits are the ‘devil’ inside everyone of us. The need for glory,
recognition, attention, appreciation, not losing what we’ve got, getting
something that others want or have. In short, it’s part of human nature.”
“How about
the heroes?”
“I think it’s
something in human nature as well that’s called ‘a God in every soul’. The will
to sacrifice, selflessness, to forgive, to love, to help unconditionally, also
the courage to do what’s right – even at a great cost.”
Sukhvinder
nodded. “I see. So that’s what turned victims into heroes, heroes into
villains, villains into saints and saints into victims.”
“So, Joanne
didn’t root into a specific someone as a main protagonist when she wrote the
story. She just let the story flow. It’s up to the readers to pick their own
favourites, to root into a certain character and find out the outcome in the
end.”
The waitress’
bitter smile was the response. She knew full well of her position and some
others’. In the end, it didn’t matter who won, who lost and who got the “casual
vacancy”. What really mattered was what had become of each and every character
after the series of dramatic changes in the end. Who were the real heroes, the
villains, the saints and… the victims?
“Thank you,”
Suvi muttered.
“For what?”
“For going
all the way to tell me this.”
“Ah, it’s
nothing compared to what Pagford brought to us through Joanne. It’s a slice of
life with all the rough edges, of a bunch of ordinary people doing what comes naturally.”
“Right. Well,
what do you think of the story itself?” Suvi asked.
“The
plotting, though very neatly organized – worthy of the writer who brought us
Harry Potter – was rather slow-paced in the beginning. Part one is the
introduction of the characters when they’re going on and on, expressing
reactions towards Barry Fairbrother’s death. Part two presents the problem at
hand, concerning the Fields.
Things are
getting more exciting when The_Ghost_of_Barry_Fairbrother sprang into action.
Now the readers might’ve guessed on even rooted for a specific candidate for
the casual vacancy. And through that process, they will know for sure will be
left standing – or sitting – as Barry’s replacement in the town council.”
Suddenly,
Sukhvinder protested, “Hey, this story is more than just who won the election,
right? You said that earlier.”
“Of course!”
I winked. “That’s why now I want to tell you my favourite characters, the ones
I rooted in the book. You, for one.”
“Wow,
thanks!” Sukhvinder Jawanda almost leaped from her seat.
“The pressure
from your schoolmates made you suffer, and you made some mistakes along the
way. Yet, you stood your ground and became what you are now.”
Other
characters of note are:
1. Krystal
Weedon: A tough girl by attitude, yet very fragile at heart. She might've been a hero, an angel in disguise... with a real tough life to live.
2. Parminder
Jawanda: The pressure was on her, yet she was willing to risk it all to do
what’s right.
3. Kay:
All she wanted to do was to help other people, but who will help her?
4. Stuart
“Fats” Wall: My least liked character of all. How can we expect a teenager,
especially a troublemaker juvenile to consider the risks and consequences of
his actions? He whose idea caused chaos.
“So, what I
mean is,” said I. “Everybody has his own faults and secrets. How can a society
demand perfection from its leader? Even in a community where people are closely
related to each other? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, like
you said, it’s human nature that collectively forms a society, a community.”
Sukhvinder shrugged. “That’s why, in this senseless society, some secrets are
better kept secret.”
“Even if you
reveal it for your own good, or the good of the society?”
“Yes,
especially that.”
“Ah, yes.
Just let people read ‘The Casual Vacancy’ as an example, so they can learn from
it. Learn from the people of Pagford.”
Suvi snapped
her finger. “Which reminds me. How is the society, the politics in your
hometown, Jakarta?”
“Well, Jakarta
is somewhat similar to Pagford, but in a larger extent. It’s a vast
metropolitan with all the beauty, the prospects of greatness it can offer. But
beneath, it’s like a jungle. Classy, good people can turn savage and evil,
doing things for their own benefit and wellness, disregarding other people’s
rights, safety and well-being in the process. What’s worse, they can do it
shamelessly even under society’s scrutiny.”
That notion
got Suvi whistled. “Whew! To think that there are places much worse than
Pagford. Jakarta – and I bet Mumbai and many other places too… Made me thankful
for staying in this little, peaceful town.”
“Actually,
I’m also thankful to live in Jakarta,” I said. “No matter how hard it is, if we
always allow ‘the God in every soul’ to take control, we can overcome
everything. We just held an election for City Governor last year. The ordeal
was long, filling the headlines of news of candidates discredit each other,
even raising a bit of racism. Yet, now we have a new Governor, and the citizens
of Jakarta had the final victory in a good, peaceful election.”
“Good for
you, Andy.” Suvi raised her thumb. “Now, if you just excuse me, I think my boss
is calling me. Once again, thank you for the pleasant chit-chat.”
“My
pleasure,” I said, waving politely as Sukhvinder darted towards the door.
I shook my
head, finishing my meal and coffee real slowly.
And then, I
grabbed my backpack, paid my bill and went outside, the fresh air of the little
town of Pagford.
Suddenly, my
mood swung in and I let out a song.
In between Pagford and Jakarta
We were fallin’ in love
In between Pagford and Jakarta
A three-night story of love
I shall remember forever
In between Pagford and Jakarta
Jakarta, January 9, 2013
(English Language Edition)
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. RowlingMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN
...
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?
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?
Hardcover, First Edition (US), 512 pages
Published September 27th 2012 by Little, Brown and Company
(first published January 1st 2012)
ISBN
0316228532 (ISBN13: 9780316228534)
edition language
English
original title
The Casual Vacancy
url
characters
setting
Pagford
(United Kingdom)
literary awards
The Casual Vacancy Indonesia
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/CasualVacancyIndonesia
View all my reviews
An angel has became a martyr, a victim of circumstance.
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