jenngeiger 's review for:

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

4.0

emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I found this Irish novel to have such a wonderful specificity in setting/scope - it’s about Cork; it’s about being a young adult trying to start a career around the 2008 financial crisis; it’s about working in books; it’s about a young woman and her closeted gay best friend, in a small town, slowly opening up their own worlds, often through heartbreak first. a lot of these characters’ choices seem so frustrating at times, and yet O’Donoghue has made sure you really truly care about them, and even in the midst of betrayal, loss, and uncertainty, there is a surprising tenderheartedness at the core of it all.