Where's the climax of J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy?

Question

I recently read J.K. Rowling's _The Casual Vacancy_. An issue I have with it is that I couldn't see a clear climax. It just felt like a bunch of unhappy people making everyone around them unhappy.Could someone point it out to me?

Answer 1

Screenwriter Sarah Phelps, who adapted the novel to the screen, noted that the climax to "The Casual Vacancy" was too bleak and lacked a redemptive moment at the end. It is safe to say there is grim after grim in the story without a clear climax. Rowling's first adult novel had been highly anticipated but received harsh reviews exactly for that reason, the lack of clear redemption in the story.