J.K. Rowling, The Casual Vacancy

Pretty much every man, woman, and child in beautiful Pagford and its ugly, socioeconomically depressed appendage known as "The Fields" lives a miserable existence. Children hate parents, spouses hate spouses, everyone is mean or depressed or abusive or abused. J.K. Rowling's first post-Potter book shows us that muggles can be every bit as unpleasant as Death Eaters. I did eventually become somewhat interested in Rowling's characters, and ultimately the story was moving, but it took much longer than I wish it had for me to become invested, and all the while there really wasn't anyone I wanted to root for. (Okay, there were a couple of teens who were more abused than abusive, but I still wouldn't want my daughters hanging around with either of them.)