The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue is good craic. This is a funny novel about 20-something friendships, bad romances, and the intensity of that time of life.
The novel is set primarily in Cork in 2009, at the height of Ireland’s financial crisis. It follows Rachel and James, two bookstore employees who become fast friends, roommates and co-conspirators in each other’s increasingly complicated love lives.
There’s even a reference to Will & Grace, which definitely describes the vibe here. James is gay, Rachel is straight, and they both have a crush on Dr. Fred Byrne, who happens to be Rachel’s Victorian lit professor. Turns out Fred is into the lads and he and James have a messy affair (Fred is married, Rachel works for his wife) — actually, it’s considerably messy in that Rachel suffers the harshest consequences.
The novel is narrated by an older version of Rachel, who is looking back on this period of life from a much more stable place. She’s married now, living in London and working as a journalist. She’s also heavily pregnant. The physical and emotional distance from that time of her life allows for some uncomfortable reflection and funny asides.
Overall this is a story about best friends and all the sacrifices you are willing to make for each other. It’s about the all-consuming feeling of your 20s and how time actually heals many wounds (or at least takes the sharp edges off).
If you liked The Blue Sisters, then this is novel has the familiar sibling camaraderie, the friendships, the misunderstandings, and the righting of the ship.