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# Book Review: Caroline O'Donoghue's The Rachel Incident: A novel
- URL: https://www.fsm.ink/the_rachel_incident/
- Published: 2026-09-14T12:33:09.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T12:33:09.000Z
- Author: Staff
- Tags: Books & Literature

*by Anna Goetzman*

> “When something good happens to you at that age, you can’t settle with the notion that it’s a one-off. You want it to be the beginning of a tradition. That’s how I felt about that night: I wanted it already to be a memory, a foundational one, a first evening of many similar evenings. I wanted future nostalgia, a rear-view, years-old fondness for something that had literally just happened.” — *The Rachel Incident* by Caroline O’ Donoghue

If I know anything about myself it is that I am a sucker for a dour, Irish, Sally Rooney-esque novel. [***The Rachel Incident: A novel***](https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-rachel-incident-a-novel-caroline-o-donoghue/7daa86ae389b6135?ref=fsm.ink) by [Caroline O’ Donoghue](https://www.czaroline.com/?ref=fsm.ink) was something I was bound to love. I went in expecting a witty story about friendship, love, and the general chaos that is being an early twenty year old, but I ended up finding it to be much more resonating than I originally thought. Caroline O’Donoghue captures that strange period of adulthood when everything feels so important even though you actually have very little idea what you are doing (aka me right now). I loved how the novel could be genuinely funny without treating its characters’ problems as insignificant. I found myself laughing and cringing at their bad decisions while also remembering how uncertainty can feel like a crisis when you are young and trying to figure life out.

Rachel was a narrator I became attached to because she felt imperfect in a very recognizable way. I didn’t always agree with her choices, but I understood the emotions that drove most of them. She could be impulsive, insecure, selfish, generous, and deeply loyal, sometimes all within a singular situation. I appreciated that the novel allowed her to be contradicting as I usually find that more interesting than a perfect and likeable protagonist. I especially enjoyed looking back on these events through the perspective of Rachel when she was older because it gave the story a sense of nostalgia without romanticizing every part of her past. I think that feeling acceptance of a past self is something any reader can resonate with!

The friendship between Rachel and James was by far my favorite part of the book. Their relationship is so intimate and intense that it sometimes feels as important as any romantic relationship in the novel. I loved the way they create their own world together, filled with jokes, secrets, loyalty, and maybe an unhealthy amount of codependency. At the same time, I could see how much of their friendship was shaped by the fact that they were both still discovering themselves. At times I felt jealous of their friendship—one where they can say anything, lay in bed together watching movies, and boundaries seem minimal. Friendships like these feel harder to make past childhood, which made me think about how certain friendships can completely define a period or age of your life, even if those relationships eventually change as you grow older.

Beyond the relationships, I appreciated the novel’s depiction of Ireland during a period of social and economic change. This gave the story more substance than I was expecting going in. I liked how O’Donoghue explores the difference between the freedoms people technically have and the freedoms they actually feel able to exercise, while tackling heavier subjects.

By the end of *The Rachel Incident*, I felt like I had been given a glimpse into someone’s real memories, rather than fiction. What stayed with me most was how the book made me think of the bittersweet feeling of looking back at parts of life with nostalgia and acceptance. I loved that this novel shows how embarrassing, painful, exciting, and formative early adulthood years can be. For me, this was a funny and tender novel about growing into yourself. It is also about realizing that some of the people who help shape you will always remain part of who you become, whether they are still physically present or not.

4.5/5 stars on the Anna rating system

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b7/d1/b7d1b6d1-443f-4e09-b301-d344accb0bbe/content/images/2026/09/The-Rachel-Incident.jpg)

***The Rachel Incident: A novel.** Caroline O'Donoghue. Vintage, 293 pp. Pub.: June 27, 2023