From Hogwarts to Oxfam (From Worcester News)

From Hogwarts to Oxfam

9:10am Saturday 29th September 2012 in News

TWO copies of a new novel by Harry Potter author JK Rowling have found their way on to the shelves of a second-hand charity bookshop in Worcester.

Hardback copies of The Casual Vacancy were left at the backdoor of the Oxfam bookshop in the High Street yesterday just a day after release.

Shop manager Amanda Bonnick said: “They don’t even look like they’ve been read. I was very surprised.”

Theories at the shop are that someone pre-ordered the book and then got it as a gift, meaning the person had two copies or that someone received it as an unwanted gift.

She said: “It’s hard to believe someone bought the books specifically for us. They don’t look at all read so I don’t think it’s a critical thing where someone has read a bit and thought ‘that’s not very good’.

“I have a little notice in the window saying ‘wow, that was quick’.”

The novel represents a departure from the fantastical world of the Harry Potter books with an adult plot concerning a parish council election in a small West Country town.