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.
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