'The Casual Vacancy,' JK Rowling's New Book: Release Date Announced

Today, the publisher Little, Brown announced the title of JK Rowling's upcoming adult novel: "The Casual Vacancy." They also announced the release date, September 27, 2012, and the subject matter of the new book.

In the novel, the unexpected death of Barry Fairweather leaves Pagford, the small town he lived in, in shock. Pagford appears to be a peaceful, serene town, but underneath that, it is a town at war. Fairweather's death leaves an empty seat on the parish council, and this causes the biggest fight Pagford has ever seen.

JK Rowling announced that she was writing a new novel for adults in late February.

At the time, she stated, "The freedom to explore new territory is a gift that Harry's success has brought me," and it seems even more true with her subject matter. Her new book topic appears a far cry from the wizardry and sorcery of Harry Potter and Hogwarts.

Today is a busy day for Rowling. She also launched her new website, jkrowling.com.

Correction: We originally omitted the comma in "Little, Brown". This was an editing error, and has been corrected.