The Rachel Incident: A novel

Rachel Murray is a mid-thirties Irish journalist living in London. As she is settling into her new domestic life, she receives startling news. Her college English professor, Dr. Byrne, is in a coma, which stirs up memories from her past. The story shifts back to Rachel in her senior year of college, living with her best friend James. They are barely scraping by with no real job prospects, as the economy is in shambles. Rachel then gets involved with Dr. Byrne, yet things don’t go as planned. Soon she is entangled in a web of deceit that threatens to uproot her life in unexpected ways.

Author Caroline O’Donoghue offers witty dialogue, questionable life choices, and palpable drama in The Rachel Incident. Although it was quite character-driven, I found myself absorbed in the story. Rachel is insufferable at times and lacks maturity throughout the book. Rachel struggles to connect with others, which I sympathized with. The friendship between Rachel and James Devlin was codependent yet sweet. This book is different from anything I’ve read. The tone was often irreverent, and some of the Irish references flew past me, yet it kept my interest throughout. I look forward to more from this author!