‘I want to live inside this book’, makes for a strange promotional quote for The Rachel Incident. It is strange because, besides the unlikely coincidences which conveniently propel Caroline O’Donoghue’s plot forward, the events which unfold inside this book aren’t especially pleasant or distinct from the outside world. Charting the coming-of-age story of protagonist Rachel and her best friend James, The Rachel Incident is mostly an exploration of reproductive rights in Ireland, nepotism, co-dependency and exploitation within the publishing industry.

Set in Cork and London between 2009 and 2022, Rachel and James feel the effects of the Irish economic depression differently because of their class status but they are united by one financial goal: to leave. In their minds, London is the epicentre of potential. Alongside the obstacles to abortion access in Ireland, there are some invigorating themes brewing in the background, especially around bisexual erasure and its disproportionate effect on men who are shamed into silence. However, it is difficult to discern whether Rachel prefers solitude, only latching onto James because she struggles to create meaningful bonds, or whether it is easier to create fewer fully fleshed-out characters who stand on the periphery of this plot.

The narrative structure itself is clichéd from the start, drawing attention to the act of writing (and publishing) in its preface: ‘It was never my plan to write about any of this [ . . . ] Almost all of us are sitting on some big life experience that we’re hoping to turn into a book one day.’ In the early chapters, her narrator jarringly interjects into the flow to actively speak to us (for instance, Rachel asks the reader to ‘have patience’ at the use of a homophobic slur in a conversation that happened in 2009). But overall, The Rachel Incident demonstrates the author’s capacity to distil complex socio-political issues into a likeable page turner. 

Published by Little, Brown on Thursday 22 June.