The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
Rachel is a college student working in a bookstore in 2009 at the height of the financial crisis in Cork, Ireland. James is her co-worker and though they seem an unlikely match, they soon become the best of friends and roommates. The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue is witty and warm and full of the angst of young adulthood.
When Rachel tells James about her crush on her professor, Dr. Byrne, James encourages her to invite him to the store for a book launch. Dr. Byrne’s wife and publisher, Deenie arrives with refreshments on the evening of the event and seems surprised to hear that the book is selling well. Of course, it isn’t, the signing is a ruse concocted by Rachel and James – and though Rachel has hopes of a romance with her professor (after all, his wife was his student once) – it is actually James whom he falls for. The plot gets stickier when Rachel interns with Deenie’s publishing company and her loyalties are divided. Should she lie to Deenie about her husband’s trips to their cottage? What about the gifts of wine and fancy cheese that the three of them share together when he comes over to see James – is it a bribe so Rachel won’t tell Deenie?
“The year in Shandon Street did a lot for me, but it did this most of all,” Rachel says, “it detached me from any kind of inherited moral system. I stopped sizing others up in accordance with the values I had been taught: who was a loser, who was closeted, who was cheating on their wife. I learned the value of context, and of people.”
James and Rachel are standing on the threshold of adulthood, molting the skin of their youth to discover their adult selves. It isn’t always easy, and they make a lot of mistakes. Young adulthood is a challenge to be sure and The Rachel Incident brings that into clear focus. The black and white thinking of youth gives way to the gray of reality. While all this might sound heavy, O’Donoghue has a gift for writing witty dialogue and engaging characters.
I recommend The Rachel Incident for fans of Katherine Heiny and Curtis Sittenfield.
