The Casual Vacancy discussion

SPOILER ALERT

I'm curious about how much variation there is in people's reactions to the end of this book. Who do you find responsible for the deaths of Krystal and Robbie?

It's hard to place blame on any one individual. I think Krystal is to blame [though I don't like to admit it] for leaving Robbie alone, although her intentions were to protect him [in the long run] and the responsibilities placed on her were far too great. However, it's just as easy to blame Samantha, for ignoring Robbie, or Terri, for neglecting her children, or even Fats. I think the message though is that society as a whole is to blame, for ignoring the plight of children like Krystal and Robbie. Just my opinion...

I blame Krystal's mother. Perhaps, as a mother myself, I feel that a mother's main responsibly is to protect her children. I think this book highlights the multiple way society can fail children. This story is a perfect storm of domino events that create a horrible outcome.

Personally, I find it difficult to lay blame on a child even a child that is clearly disturbed.

I blame Krystal's mother, much like Julie. Both Krystal and Nana Cath encouraged her and did everything to get her to be a good mother, but she just didn't listen. Krystal wasn't raised correctly, and therefore I don't think you can expect her to be responsible. I honestly think that Krystal if Krystal had been raised in a healthy home, she would be able to correctly care for Robbie on her own.
Also I think Fats should have known what would happen with Robbie,he did realize he shouldn't, but he didn't do anything about it. I don't like admitting that I blame Fats, though, because he does have a pitiable end.

I agree with Amelia when she says that probably society as a whole is to blame, I think it is the message behind all those people passing by (Gavin, Samantha... ) and no one really paying attention to the fact that Robbie was wandering all by himself.
Kristal has certainly a part of responsibility but she is not an adult, if we considered how she has been raised and that she was raped merely days before we can't really blame her, especially if we consider how she ended.
If we stick to blame one person I would certainly blame Terry ha the main culprit,but, as I said, I think is a case of collective guilt.

I don't think the deaths have to blame anyone, that's not the point of them. The point of the death of Robbie -and various people passing by him before- was to show how each person was so absorbed in their own problems that they didn't think twice about a little toddler walking around all by himself and not going to help him find Krystal-even if they didn't like her- but for the sake of making sure he was protected. Robbie was pretty much a symbol of how people can be careless when they are so absorbed in their own petty problems.

Kyrstal's death has no one to blame- why do we have to blame someone? that's not the point of deaths in anything!- sorry had to get that out. Krystal was a symbol of hope and of change that can happen in The Fields and that not everyone there is the same, she had potential, and that is why Barry was so passionate about her life and helping her during his life. It showed how much she depended on Robbie to keep her life sane and hopeful- to make a better life for him than what she had at her age.

Both Krystal and Robbie were messages of hope and the blindness to the world when one is dealing with one's own problems. I don't blame anyone for their deaths'- yes mistakes were made but that's not the point- they had to die to shake up the town and make them think twice about their lives and the community as a whole. Robbie's death could have been prevented several times by capable adults during that span of time he was walking around and Krystal had a hard time dealing with the death of the only person she honestly cared about and wanted to change the life of- he was the reason she tried so hard with her mother and the social workers to make life better for the household.
So that's my thoughts on the question.

Keshena wrote: "Ashley wrote: "I don't think the deaths have to blame anyone, that's not the point of them. The point of the death of Robbie -and various people passing by him before- was to show how each person w..."

Thank You Keshena. Life is kind of like that when you have good intentions but somehow something happens and makes everything go wrong in this case it was to the extreme even exaggerated sense.

I honestly didn't want to stop reading when that climax happened and was practically almost crying- I was crying on the inside for sure- because Robbie is such a sympathetic character and representation of innocence in the town. A very hard book to get through but one I think everyone should read in their lives because it a live changer type of novel that makes us see our society and our flaws on scale that shows us the ripple effect of everything we do. Although now I can't listen to Rihanna's Umbrella the same way I did before- I always liked the songs- but now it has so much more depth and I can't help but think of Rowing and The Casual Vacancy everytime that I listen to it now.

Ashley wrote: "I don't think the deaths have to blame anyone, that's not the point of them. The point of the death of Robbie -and various people passing by him before- was to show how each person was so absorbed ..."

Very well said. This is why I rarely speak up in book club meetings. I don't phrase things as well. Thank you for your thoughts. Well done.

Ashley wrote: "I don't think the deaths have to blame anyone, that's not the point of them. The point of the death of Robbie -and various people passing by him before- was to show how each person was so absorbed ..."

Wonderfully said. I completely agree with what you said about the deaths and no one being able to be blamed.

Keshena wrote: Same for me- "Umbrella" now makes me a bit teary!

I know what you mean I can't disassociate them from each other because it is so hard. Did you notice that Umbrella is played in the beginning and end of the book at funerals? I thought that it was very sweet of the Rowing team to include it in Barry's funeral and Krystals and it also kind of brought it all back together- the story ends the same way it begins and unexpected death(s) that rattle the community- they all to get the community to change which I think is a clever concept.

(I am extremely amazed how well I understand this novel and the purposes behind everything we have discussed considering I only read it one time)

I think that the Umbrella symbolizes Barry Fairbrother himself. He was a shield above the heads of those who needed it. Without him, the members of Pagford destroyed what he fought to protect. The umbrella was gone and the rain fell.

Barry chose the Wheedons, I believe, because he thought that they epitomized the need for Pagford to care for the Fields. When Barry died, when the umbrella was gone, the town failed the Wheddons.

Although in a very terrible way, Krystal and Robbie still communicated Barry's message; that the members of Pagford who have been given the unfortunate circumstance of being Fielders, need an umbrella.

Andrew wrote: "I think that the Umbrella symbolizes Barry Fairbrother himself. He was a shield above the heads of those who needed it. Without him, the members of Pagford destroyed what he fought to protect. The ..."

I had not considered the symbolism behind the song, I like your explanation Andrew, thank you!

Andrew wrote: "I think that the Umbrella symbolizes Barry Fairbrother himself. He was a shield above the heads of those who needed it. Without him, the members of Pagford destroyed what he fought to protect. The ..."

I have to agree with Valetta on that your explanation is very well done and makes perfect sense especially in the context of the scenes where it is played- minus the road trip flashback.

i thought krystals death was a little unlikely, the police would have kicked the door in a lot quicker. so saying suhkvinders memories at the funeral were very poignant

this is a bit left field but did anyone think Barry was krystals father? as in terri had been a prostitute for years / barry knew the fields well / both good at rowing / he endlessly wants to help her etc

also i loved the double bluff on the epi pen - i was certain andrew's peanut allergy would come up and he would die, but shirley taking it home to try and kill howard was superb

Sandyboy wrote: "i thought krystals death was a little unlikely, the police would have kicked the door in a lot quicker. so saying suhkvinders memories at the funeral were very poignant

this is a bit left field bu..."

Actually I did have that thought cross my mind while reading. I was actually waiting for it to come up in the story somewhere but it never did. My guess is that some speculation will always be around that relationship until someone interviews Rowling and asks her about it. Throughout most of the story I thought Barry's secret was going to be that Krystal was his daughter but instead it turned out to be that he neglected his family for Krystals benefit in society and to change the society of the town.

It is going to take a read or two more to explore everything this novel has to offer because it is very multidemonsional and layered as anything else she wrote. Rowling's writings are a like a jigsaw puzzle you are trying to finish but are always finding new pieces to put into it.

i did wonder if Fats was actually Krystals brother at one point but that seemed too american soap opera

it was very good once it got going though, kind of an english Jonathon Franzen novel i felt

Andrew wrote: "I think that the Umbrella symbolizes Barry Fairbrother himself. He was a shield above the heads of those who needed it. Without him, the members of Pagford destroyed what he fought to protect. The ..."

Wow, you're completely right. Love the explanation! J.K. is such a genius.

Sandyboy wrote: "i thought krystals death was a little unlikely, the police would have kicked the door in a lot quicker. so saying suhkvinders memories at the funeral were very poignant

this is a bit left field bu..."

Mmmmmm, no I didn't think that Barry could be Krystal's father and honestly I don't like the idea very much, it would seem a cheap coup de théâtre, something that would fit in a soap opera while I think Rowling's style is more refined. Moreover it would sound like Barry was helping Krystal "only" because she was his daughter and this doesn't fit with the image of a man so altruistic that he ended up giving more attention to "strangers" than to his real family.

Ive not read all the comments, but in regards to the original question of who is to blame for Krystal and Robbies death. I place all responsibility on Terri. She had chance after chance and just couldnt resist slipping back into old ways. It broke my heart when Krystal found Robbie naked with Obbo. Terri should have really stepped up as a parent and when she couldnt, proper placement for Kyrstal and Robbie should have taken place.

I didn't have the impression Barry was neglecting his family--he played soccer with his sons, coached his daughters' rowing team, etc. It seemed to me like Mary thought his family should be the only thing in his life outside of work (what did he do for a living anyway? did we ever learn?), and so she disliked his level of community involvement, but not that his involvement was over the top.

I think the fact that people can assign blame singularly shows exactly why these issues continue to be so prevalent in real life society. if it was ever as simple as identifying the 'main person to blame' then that would be done in the real world, and these problems would cease to exist.

Sadly the reality is that there are so many complicated layers of people, events, choices, loss of choice that to even begin to sift through would take a lifetime.

Krystal was wrong and her actions were horrendous. However, she was also a child placed in a situation far beyond her capabilities it is truly a sequence of unfortunate events. Blame Barry for dying, blame the Parish for threatening the clinic, blame everyone and when you are finished the boy and girl are still dead.

At some point it is not about blame but about change.

The more I ponder this question though the more upset I am about Shirley, Samantha and Gavin's actions. I don't know who was worse the two mother's who knew better then to walk past a three year old who was running around or Gavin who would latter not even remember he saw the boy. It is sorta the story of the Good Samaritan without the Samaritan, three men passed him too.

I agree with the comments about the futility of trying to apportion blame for Robbie & Krystal's deaths. Krystal's decision to leave Robbie alone was obviously wrong but there are so many ifs - if she hadn't found Robbie alone with Obbo she probably wouldn't have taken him with her, if she hadn't been so desperate to try & find an escape for them, if Obbo hadn't manipulated Terri.....
The people & organisations involved in Robbie's life had varying degrees of responsibility to him & all ultimately failed him.
It is hard to accept that people saw him by himself and didn't intervene. I can believe he didn't feature on Shirley & Gavin's radar but Samantha did see him & notice he was alone (& near a road). It's hard to imagine she didn't do anything - although she may well have not been thanked for it. It seems wrong to single her out though as she's the only one who shows any conscience. Shirley, I think, is the most hopeless character; even after the tragedy she sees it only in terms of an delaying Howard's ambulance.

Julie wrote: "I blame Krystal's mother. Perhaps, as a mother myself, I feel that a mother's main responsibly is to protect her children. I think this book highlights the multiple way society can fail children. T..."

I agree. The mother is ultimately responsible for their deaths...they were minor children. At some point, parents have to get over their own abuse or past problems and take care of their kids. She didn't do it. She killed them both.

Surely the idea of individual responsibility reflected in blaming Terri or Krystal is precisely the problem? Generations of disadvantage and abuse were stacked against Robbie, and even the limited resources that were there to protect him and address his family's problems were contested. If Kay, who was making good progress with the family, had been allowed to keep the case; if anyone had thought to ask why Terri was so dependent on drugs; if any of the three passers by had cared enough to stop; the list of what ifs that could have saved Robbie and Krystal is endless, and it doesn't all amount to Terri's personal failings. Yes, if she'd been stronger and more able to cope on a personal level things could have been different, but all the people who had been given a much better start in life were just as messed up and dependent on crutches like food and alcohol as she was. And was there a really shining example of parenting anywhere in the book? The only hope, in the end, was that Sukhvinder's selflessness, bravery and compassion would translate into something better from the next generation, and more people, like Samantha, would come to see the parallels between themselves and others less fortunate, and start to be willing to take action.

Also, the really defining moment of the book is when it becomes clear that the addiction clinic is likely to close, and Terri and then Krystal start to feel completely hopeless. And that's about something far bigger and uglier than one woman's personal failings.

they had to die to shake up the town and make them think twice about their lives and the community as a whole

But did their deaths acutally shake things up? I don't think they did, but we're never really told. Sure, they affected a few characters personally, such as Fats, but I don't think that a lot of people actually changed their minds about the Fields. Maureen tells Shirley that the Fields are "as good as gone". And I see people's attitudes towards Krystal after her death as an allegory of how they see the Fields: They still don't care, and they still don't want to understand the deeper meaning of what's going on. They just want it over and done with.

At some point, parents have to get over their own abuse or past problems and take care of their kids. She didn't do it.

Sorry, but you sound exactly like Howard Mollison. You don't just "get past" a drug addiction, it's a serious mental problem, not just a physical one. Yes, Terri was a bad mother, but she was hardly even able to take care of herself - how was she supposed to take care of two children?
I think the whole of society is to blame here: The social workers for not taking the children away from Terri and Pagford for not trying to pull the Fields out of the state of crime and poverty which kept Terri in her own bad state. Of course she shouldn't have started doing drugs in the first place, but it doesn't seem like a lot was done to stop her. The addiction clinic clearly didn't get enough funding, and the Fields were just left to rot because the people in Pagford didn't want them. Even the people in the Fields have been led to believe that there is no way to get a better life, so they might as well stop trying.

I agree that you can't really blame one person for Krystal and Robbie's deaths. There were just way too many factors involved in that entire scenario (Terri's drug use, Kyrstal's misguided attempt at making a better life, etc) to place the blame on one person alone.

I will say though that out of everyone who holds some responsibility for their deaths, the one I'm the maddest at is Shirley. Terri was a drug addict and Krystal and Fats were kids, so while you can't excuse their behavior, there are at least some reasons for their neglect (not good reasons, mind you, but they are there) and bad behavior. Gavin, besides being a pathetic and self-absorbed character in the first place, doesn't have any children (and probably hasn't been around many, especially young kids), so one can see why he might not have registered that there was a problem with a three year old sitting by himself with no adult around (the fact that he doesn't even recall later after hearing about the deaths that he saw Robbie just shows how oblivious he really was). Samantha, as a mother, should have stopped when she saw Robbie alone in the field and there's really no excuse for her behavior but at least she had the decency to feel guilty about it later and decided to join the council in order to do some good. Shirley, on the other hand, not only passed by Robbie (and being both a mother and a grandmother, she had to know something was wrong with him being alone on the street) but heard him screaming for Krystal, so she also knew he was in distress. She also saw Krystal and Fats in the bushes down the street, which would have completely confirmed that Robbie was all by himself. Knowing all this, she still didn't help Robbie and her only thought about his death is that it slowed down the ambulance that was coming for Howard. Ugh. A lot of people are to blame for Krystal and Robbie's deaths but for me, Shirley's the most vile just because she feels no regret at all.

I'm so glad I found this thread. After all the trashing this book has taken on other threads, it is nice to find a thread of people seriously discussing the meat of the story. I've learned a lot reading through all the posts.

I have to agree with Katharina.

First of all, why must you put the blame on someone? I mean, the whole point of this book, to me at least, is to stop being so judgmental and self-absorbed! Fact is, the whole society was to be blamed for both deaths.

I see a lot of people find it easier to blame the mother. "Oh why didn't she just get over her drug addiction and started acting responsible". Because it is THAT easy.

If you blame Terri then you must blame Krystal. And if you don't blame Krystal then you can't blame Terri. One of the FEW differences between them is that, luckily, Krystal had a Barry Fairbrother in her life to help her turn it around somehow. That and her love for Robbie.

Terri had an equally crappy childhood. She was prone to be aggressive to people trying to help her (like Nana) just as Krystal was. So if you feel sympathy and understanding towards Krystal, why shouldn't you feel the same for Terri?
Yes, she was an adult and a mother and she had responsibilities not to be overlooked. But she was a drug addict! She tried to quit, but if you take into consideration her personality and complexes, the lack of real help, the environment she was living, well the outcome wasn't going to be positive.


Quite off topic but this line: “they had to die to shake up the town and make them think twice about their lives and the community as a whole”; I feel the opposite way.
And that is why I don't just like it, but I LOVE this book. It is so real!
In an ideal scenario, after Robbie and Krystal's death the town would be so shaken up they would reconsider their whole position towards the Fields and its inhabitants, they would change for the better.
Sorry to be so cynic but this doesn't happen here and it doesn't happen in real life. At most, we can say Sukhvinder is the one that showed real change. And maybe Samantha. Other than that, to me it felt, because of the sudden “changes” in the characters, that it was all momentary. I know because I've seen it: people have a shocking experience, they “reconsider” their lives and want to change, they change for maybe a couple of weeks then they are back to their old selves.

Sorry if I sound a little harsh!!!

Really, if I were going to blame someone in particular I would have to say Obbo was the worst. He's definitely the main reason Krystal felt it was so necessary to get out of the house and probably the trauma of what he did was a leading factor in her poor judgement at the time. I guess people don't think of him because we don't get to know him, but let's face it -- he's the most evil character in the book.

On the other hand I agree that the point of the book is to show how the selfishness of rich people impacts the lives of the poor and luckless.

I agree with all the people saying that many people were at fault in one way or other, but I really related to Tessa in the end. Mothers always blame themselves, and she could blame herself as a failed guidance teacher, too. But personally, I take a more sympathetic view of her. I really believe she tried her best, and what she ascribes to selfishness - her desire to have a baby - may have been misguided, but who could blame her?

Terris father, did no one else see that?

Re: Krystal and Robbie’s deaths provoking or not provoking change.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that the real tragedy in this story is that Pagford continues the same, with only one or two of its adult citizens really reflecting seriously. The teenagers in the book, however, seem to have a more introspective experience that might be cause for hope.

Is this because Krystal was their peer? Because the young are more prone to reflection on a wider scale than adults? Or is this something Rowling meant to do, as sort of a symbol of hope that while change won’t come immediately there might be some chance of it in the next generation?

I realize the teenagers aren’t in a place where they’re incorporating this event into their political or worldview yet, but it has the chance of shaping them as they age.

What do you think? Do you think this was a purposeful maneuver by Rowling, or a symptom of being young and having a less-defined worldview?

It's difficult, maybe impossible to put the blame on anyone. When I was reading it, I blamed Krystal for the death of Robbie, she made a really bad decision to leave him on his own. But really, we can't blame her. And I can't blame Terri. Maybe Terri's father, but then again, there must be something that happened to him why he did the awful things he did.

I think the point is that there isn't any one person to blame. It's amazing, because I come from a family without a lot of money, but my MOTHER comes from a family that was even worse off. And I grew up hearing stories like Krystal and Robbie's. And the first thing I thought on finishing the book was "OMG this woman has been poor." And we all know the story, of course, but I do sort of wonder if she thinks about that, as a mother, and how difficult it was to write that ending.

Robbie was failed by many people long before he was left on that bench. Despite the good intentions of both of them, neither Terri or Krystal were fit to look after him. Ultimately he was failed by the social services, whose job it was to make sure he was safe. If I had to narrow it down to one I would say Mattie, the bit character social worker, who seemed pretty awful at her job and obviously didn't pay much attention to Robbie (and all the Wheedon's) plight.

Emma wrote: "I didn't have the impression Barry was neglecting his family--he played soccer with his sons, coached his daughters' rowing team, etc. It seemed to me like Mary thought his family should be the onl..."

I agree. I didn't feel like he was neglecting his family. I do think the family wasn't as unified as they could have been though. Remember that only Declan looked away from the TV and waved goodbye when he and Mary left for the golf club. I simply feel like he was trying to make a difference, and Mary was the only one who believed he was neglecting them.

Also, I don't know why, but I believe Barry worked at a bank.

Sandyboy wrote: "i did wonder if Fats was actually Krystals brother at one point but that seemed too american soap opera

it was very good once it got going though, kind of an english Jonathon Franzen novel i felt"

Haha! Wouldn't that have been an interesting plot twist?

Hello! So I was wondering what happens to Obbo at the end? I just can't accept that he just gets off just like that. Or have I missed something? I do remember that terri sells tessa's watch to obbo and in the last ch she sees the watch on a 'fat wrist'. I wonder what that implies?

There is no one person we can blame. Each person must take responsibility for their own actions. However, the bullying of Sukhvinder is different. There are many people that can be blamed.

Rohit wrote: "Hello! So I was wondering what happens to Obbo at the end? I just can't accept that he just gets off just like that. Or have I missed something? I do remember that terri sells tessa's watch to obbo..."

I didn't even think of that. Knowing how her cousins, I doubt Obbo was alive at the end of the book. He probably went for a swim.