The weekly post
The one that celebrates powerful women (obviously)
For two weeks every two years (alternating summer and winter), I take a break from books serving as my entire personality to allow for the Olympics to function as my entire personality. I know I’m not alone in this phenomenon, and there is something comforting (and dare I say healthy) about being inspired to tears multiple times a day (right?). The Olympics have been history-making in so many countless ways this year, and that has felt like a good enough reason to read a bit less than usual these days.
That said, I have been enjoying what I’ve been reading this summer and at a more relaxed, intentional pace. With one big work trip and one more vacation left to go before Labor Day, I’m really looking forward to hopefully soaking up a few more quick beach reads and one more annual re-read before turning to the coziness of fall. Wherever you are, I hope you’re taking care and enjoying the books that make their way to you.
Currently Reading
INTIMACIES by Katie Kitamura. I recently received this book as a gift from a dear friend, and I immediately knew I was in for a treat when I learned that it made Obama’s favorite books list in 2021. It seems like it will potentially be on the darker side, but I am honestly really looking forward to a provocative change of pace and sharing my review with you soon.
Recent Recommendation
THE RACHEL INCIDENT by Caroline O’Donoghue (4 stars). This is going to be a tricky review to write because I’m not sure if I can convey my full feelings about this book without spoiling it (but I sure am going to try). I’ll start first by saying that I genuinely enjoyed this book, and also it’s one that I really won’t be able to recommend to everyone - which is good! Books can’t - and shouldn’t - please everyone, and they are meant to sit with different people at different times in their lives.
The Rachel Incident tells the story of Rachel Murray, an Irish woman in the small town of Cork. The book opens with a former classmate of Rachel’s asking her in a bar if she’s heard of what happened to Fred Byrne, who is in a coma. As the reader, we don’t know who Fred Byrne is or what Rachel’s connection is to him; we don’t know how long it has been since Rachel and Fred saw one another or how this news is emotionally impacting Rachel. This brief mention at the bar kicks off Rachel telling the story of her college years, where she spent her time working part-time in a bookstore and falls platonically-in-love with her best friend, James. When Rachel develops a crush on her married English professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a plan to host a “book launch” at the bookstore. What happens at that book launch sets off a series of complicated events that irrevocably changes Rachel, James, and Dr. Byrne’s lives in truly unanticipated ways.
There are a few distinct creative writing styles/decisions that stood out to me and made for a more interesting read. First, this book is written in part like a mystery in that there are offhand and ominous comments dropped by the author that managed to grab my attention, but then wouldn’t re-emerge or explain themselves for several chapters. I never felt like I was racing to finish this book, but rather, I felt consistently intrigued and eager to understand how the story would evolve. In the same vein, there was an elusiveness in the timing of this novel that O’Donoghue managed to pull off, despite the risk of totally losing the trust of the reader. In some ways, this reminded me of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow in that we could go several chapters of reliving Rachel’s college years, and then in one single sentence, she would snap you back to present day and remind you that she was retelling a story. This all added to the mysterious air of the novel because I found myself asking, “How far in time have we jumped? What could have transpired to make the retelling of a college tale relevant to this woman’s life now?” This makes for a stronger reveal when we finally have answers to those questions.
Where I struggle in who and when to recommend this novel is that it is comprised of not altogether likeable characters. There’s nothing egregious about Rachel, but she is at times whiny and petulant, and persistently an unreliable narrator. James is endearing, charming, and full of self-serving blind spots. Dr. Fred Byrne is bizarre and unpredictable, among many other adjectives. This novel explores feminism, class, and contemporary Irish politics and does so through the perspectives of deeply flawed characters. There are moments of this book that made me uneasy, but many more moments that I am craving to discuss with others.
So here is where I will land, friends: this is not a lighthearted, beach read, and it’s one that requires a not insignificant degree of contemplation to fully appreciate. I think it would make for a great book club selection as it will elicit a wide range of opinions and reactions, but if you’re the selecter, you’ll need to feel confident that this simply won’t win over the hearts and minds of everyone. I’m feeling quite grateful to have read The Rachel Incident, as Irish literature is not an area I usually explore, and it asked me to sit with the material rather than rushing through to the end.
Recommend for… fans of Good Material by Dolly Alderton, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, and anything by Jessica Knoll
Up Next
CARRIE SOTO IS BACK by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Yes, this does mark my 3rd annual summer re-read of Carrie Soto is Back, but let’s face it: we are living at the same time as Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Coco Gauff, Katie Ledecky, Sha’Carri Richardson, Ons Jabeur, Aryna Sabalenka, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Kamala Harris so yes, I will only be absorbing stories of badass women being unapologetically powerful. I love the storytelling of Carrie Soto, the relationships between Carrie and her dad, and their relationship with tennis, and I cannot wait to see what I get out of my third read. If you haven’t read it yet, this is definitely the summer to send it to the top of your list.
Three Words
One more page!