THE PLOT: ‘The Rachel Incident’ by Caroline O’Donoghue is a novel about best friends who become infamous in their hometown. In the 2010’s Rachel is a student working at a bookstore in Cork when she meets James. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James invites Rachel to be his roommate and the two become best friends. When Rachel fancies her married professor, Dr Fred Byrne, James helps her plan a launch for Dr Byrne’s book at their bookstore, hoping she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and lies that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and, don’t forget, Fred’s wife.

SUMMARY: Caroline O’Donoghue has such a way with words. From witty banter to incisive character observations, this book draws you into its world until you’re cocooned in the duvet of a flat-share with no heating. Equally hilarious and heart-breaking, I found myself screeching at Rachel as each scene unfolded. What elevates O’Donoghue from her contemporaries is her deep understanding of character, and utilising that to create protagonists that are understandable rather than unlikeable. While some might not be able to relate to Rachel, those of us who wanted to squeeze the fun out of every night out and smoke cigarettes out the window will feel this character is a friend. And though Rachel is imperfect, the way the plot escalates and comes together will have you backing her all the way.

GOOD BITS:  This author brings all of the storylines together in a way that feels both inevitable yet shocking. Even though I knew the crux of the novel from a not-paused-on-time podcast, I still gasped at how it all went down. This is the third book I’ve read by this author and each one has felt so moreish. Utterly compelling, they’re ‘read one more chapter before bed’ kind of books, leaving you bamboozled at 2am in the morning. I loved the way the past and present storylines mirrored each other. And, while I don’t want to give away any spoilers, this book touches on serious themes in such a clever way.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: This book feels tight and well-plotted, so there’s not much I would change. For the most part, it is what it needs to be. However, I’m not 100% sold on the randomness of Rachel’s chiropractor… I’ll accept it because this is, after all, a novel. But I didn’t 100% buy it.

OVERALL: I’d recommend this book to fans of ‘Asking for It’ by Louise O’Neill, ‘Snowflake’ by Louise Nealon, and ‘Cleopatra and Frankenstein’ by Coco Mellors. If you like messy characters and spider-web plots, you’ll devour this book.

Thank you to Virago for my #gifted copy after I bombarded them with emails!

You can purchase this book with a discount and support @aminasbookshelf via my bookshop.org account.