'The Rachel Incident' looks back on early-20s friendships, love and mistakes

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: 'The Rachel Incident' by Caroline O’Donoghue

Episode Overview In the July 1, 2025 episode of NPR's Book of the Day, host Andrew Limbong delves into Caroline O’Donoghue's novel, The Rachel Incident. This richly woven narrative explores the complexities of early-20s friendships, love, and the mistakes that shape us, set against the backdrop of Cork City in 2009. Through an insightful interview with the author, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the characters and the societal influences that permeate the story.

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Introduction to the Novel

Andrew Limbong opens the discussion by situating The Rachel Incident within the broader context of Ireland’s evolving social landscape. Although not solely focused on the repeal of Ireland's abortion ban in 2018, the novel subtly reflects the tensions between traditional conservatism and burgeoning liberalism.

Andrew Limbong [00:02]: "Today's book isn't strictly about that, but it's not not about that, if you get what I mean."

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Plot and Character Dynamics

Miles Parks provides a synopsis of the novel, introducing Rachel and James, whose friendship is the heart of the story. Their relationship begins with a peculiar encounter in a bookshop and evolves into a deep, albeit complicated, bond.

Miles Parks [01:32]: "Rachel is a student working in a bookshop when a guy named James comes up to her."

Caroline O’Donoghue elaborates on the origins of Rachel and James’ friendship, likening it to a classic movie trope where unspoken feelings simmer beneath the surface.

Caroline O'Donoghue [02:33]: "I often think of their friendship as being... a soldier, you know, in a bar... says, 'I'm going to marry that girl someday.'"

Rachel, a 20-year-old from an upper-middle-class background, grapples with her family's financial devastation due to the 2008 Irish economic recession. In contrast, James comes from a more challenging upbringing but is charismatic and effervescent, adding depth to their interactions.

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Exploration of Themes

The novel delves into several poignant themes, including friendship, romance, and the journey of coming of age amidst societal pressures.

Abortion and Women's Sexuality Abortion emerges as a significant theme, reflecting Ireland's historical repression of women's sexuality. O’Donoghue discusses how these societal constraints impact female characters' experiences and self-perception.

Caroline O'Donoghue [05:14]: "Abortion access was completely illegal in Ireland until 2018... if you were an Irish woman growing up of my generation... you could not think about your sex life without also thinking about the worst consequence."

Contradictory Female Messaging Rachel navigates the tumultuous waters of conflicting messages about femininity and sexuality, mirroring the cultural dichotomy between conservative Irish values and more liberated Western influences.

Miles Parks [06:05]: "Rachel feels like she was developing at a crossroads of female messaging, feeling physical desires while pop stars were being shamed."

Caroline O'Donoghue [06:30]: "It's almost like... a millennial horror story... how contradictory it actually feels to be a woman."

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Narrative Style and Tone

The novel is narrated in the past tense, providing Rachel with a reflective and generous perspective on her younger self's experiences. O’Donoghue explains that this choice imbues the story with a sense of joy and nostalgia, even amidst challenging events.

Caroline O'Donoghue [08:13]: "I wrote this book primarily to cheer myself up during the pandemic... the attitude is, 'God, I was an idiot, but what a great pair of legs.'"

This narrative decision allows readers to empathize with Rachel without the story becoming overwhelmingly bleak, offering a balanced portrayal of growth and self-acceptance.

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Author Insights

Through the interview, O’Donoghue shares her motivations and the cultural influences that shaped her writing. She highlights the unique position of Irish women who simultaneously consume Western sexual liberation media and live under restrictive societal norms, creating a tension that fuels the novel’s emotional landscape.

Caroline O'Donoghue [07:51]: "Irish women recounting their lives... it's almost like a millennial horror story... far more literal."

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Conclusion

The Rachel Incident offers a heartfelt exploration of early adulthood, set against a backdrop of cultural transformation in Ireland. Caroline O’Donoghue masterfully captures the essence of friendship, love, and personal growth, enriched by the societal shifts that influence her characters' lives. This NPR episode not only presents a compelling summary of the novel but also provides profound insights into the themes that resonate with contemporary readers.

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Notable Quotes

• Andrew Limbong [00:02]: "Today's book isn't strictly about that, but it's not not about that, if you get what I mean."

• Caroline O'Donoghue [02:33]: "I often think of their friendship as being... a soldier, you know, in a bar... says, 'I'm going to marry that girl someday.'"

• Caroline O'Donoghue [05:14]: "If you were an Irish woman growing up of my generation... you could not think about your sex life without also thinking about the worst consequence."

• Miles Parks [06:05]: "Rachel feels like she was developing at a crossroads of female messaging."

• Caroline O'Donoghue [08:13]: "God, I was an idiot, but what a great pair of legs."

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essence of the episode, highlighting key discussions and providing listeners with a clear understanding of The Rachel Incident and its thematic depth.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. In 2018, the people of Ireland voted overwhelmingly to repeal its country's ban on abortion. Today's book isn't strictly about that, but it's not not about that, if you get what I mean. The novel is called the Rachel Incident, and it's by Caroline o' Donoghue. And it's about these two friends in Cork City growing up together as messy, lovable 20 somethings in 2009. And in this interview with NPR's Miles Parks, O' Donoghue says something really insightful. Getting all these mixed messages as a woman when it came to sex. How on the one hand, Ireland was extremely conservative and repressive about women's sexuality, and on the other hand, she was seeing what was going on in the States when it came to sex tapes and celebrities behaving, quote, unquote badly. And she likens it, interestingly enough, to a horror movie. That's after the break.

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[Miles Parks]

Cork City, Ireland, 2009 Rachel is a student working in a bookshop when a guy named James comes up to her.

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

And says, someone here has scabies. He said it like he was Poirot investigating a country house blighted by murder. What I said. The shock of the sentence shattering the glassy reserve that I had cultivated as part of my Persona. The Persona broadly known as girl who works in Bookshop and what are scabies? They're like a parasite, he said. Like worms. No, worms are inside. Scabies are outside. Have you ever had worms?

[Miles Parks]

And so begins their best friendship. Rachel and James move into a crappy apartment where they drink cheap wine and watch TV in bed, and their lives slowly intertwine. The Rachel Incident is a book about friendship, romance, and coming of age at a specific time in history. The Authority, Caroline o' Donoghue joins me now.

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

Hi, Miles. Lovely to speak with you.

[Miles Parks]

It's great to have you. So at the center of this book are Rachel and James. Will you just tell us a little bit about their friendship?

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

I, I often think of their friendship as being, you know, that bit in an old movie where a soldier, you know, in a bar, he kind of nudges his buddy and says, I'm going to marry that girl someday. And the specifics of them is that Rachel is a. She's a 20 year old sort of girl who's living in Cork City, a place where she grew up and has that specific thing, I don't know if you know it, of like going to university in the same town that you grew up in. And so by the age 20, I.

[Miles Parks]

Know very, very well.

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

Where did you go?

[Miles Parks]

I went to school down in Tampa, Florida. But that's a, that's a different story, but it's very familiar to me.

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

Yes, yes. And she's kind of from an upper middle class background, but because of the Irish economic recession in 2008, her parents have been absolutely devastated by that. And so she's kind of well brought, but broke. And James, meanwhile, he has a very what I would call a Angela's Ashes background, but is very kind of effervescent and charismatic and fun and also closeted. Many things happen. I sort of, I worry sometimes I talk so much about their friendship that I'm afraid people will think it's a novel where nothing happens. But a lot happens. It's just hard to discuss.

[Miles Parks]

A lot happens in this book. I want to ask about a couple of the other characters in the book. There is Rachel's college professor who then begins kind of dating James. And the college professor has a wife who then Rachel begins working for. And Rachel has this other boyfriend who moves into her life who kind of becomes a constant throughout the book. All of these characters are older than Rachel who are kind of adults. But I wondered, do you feel like they have it figured out more than she does?

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

I think one of the things that the novels is about really is that like she is looking to everybody to be formed by them. You know, she's obsessed with, she's so obsessed with what her boyfriend says about her when she's not around that she can't really concentrate on her boyfriend in the moment, you know, like that kind of thing. And the Burns are an incredible figures in her life. And I think we all have that, don't we? Where the first people we meet who are our friends, who are we almost think of as being in our parents generation, but they're our friends and how exciting that is and how we will take anything they say as being the wisest and most correct thing. And then there comes a point where, like, everything falls apart and she has to dictate to them, okay, here's what's gonna happen now. And she realizes how vulnerable everyone around her actually is.

[Miles Parks]

Abortion becomes a big theme of this book as well. Can you talk a little bit about why? Why that was something you wanted to write about?

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

So for anyone who doesn't know, abortion access was completely illegal in Ireland until 2018, when the Eighth Amendment was repealed in our Constitution. And gay sex acts were illegal in our constitution until the 90s. The last Magdalene Laundry, which was a system for institutionalizing and incarcerating young mothers and young women who were having sex outside of marriage. The last one of Those closed in 1986. And so there's all these, like, horrible, horrible tiara of Irish repression. For me, the crown jewel of that is the fact that if you were an Irish woman growing up of my generation or any generation beforehand, you could not think about your sex life without also thinking about the worst consequence of your sex life and how that divorces you from sensuality and from instinct and from trusting people and from fun.

[Miles Parks]

One of my favorite sentences in the book is this line where Rachel says she's. She feels like she was developing at a kind of crossroads of female messaging, where she was feeling all of these physical desires while at the same time, pop stars were being shamed. That was kind of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears time. She was just taking in all of these contradictory messages about what it meant to be a woman.

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

Yeah. At the beginning of the book, she has this boyfriend. They split up quite quickly. Cause there's no room for him in her and James love affair. And she starts going out all the time, and she's always getting drunk, and she's always having a lovely kiss with somebody in the back of a club. And then inevitably, he walks her home. And then she would fight herself feeling disgraced. And like, how dare you assume you would come in and sleep with me. I'll slap you across the face like Katherine Hepburn and then walk inside and wonder why I did that. You know, because ultimately, you know, it was very hard to know what to do, where. And I think people often ask me in interviews, why is it, do you think that Irish femininity is so culturally prevalent right now? Why are there so many Irish creators, whether it's in film or TV and novels? I do think that we grew up in this way where we had all the Western culture that, you know, everybody else had the Paris Hilton and all the sex tapes and. But we also, we were emerging from a society that was so. So sexually conservative. And it's almost like, you know, how, like, every single horror movie in the 1950s was about aliens because everybody was afraid of communism. Irish women recounting their lives. It's almost like a millennial horror story of, like, this is how it feels. This is how contradictory it actually feels to be a woman. But for Irish women, it's far more literal. And on the surface, if you know what I mean.

[Miles Parks]

You pick a very specific voice for Rachel. She's kind of recounting the events of her early 20s from her, I believe, like, early 30s, where she's got a little bit of distance from these events, and it seems to give her a sort of generosity. For all of the characters in this book, can you talk about why you decided to write it in that way?

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

About halfway through the book, the events are coming thick and fast, and you're like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. Like, you know. And I realized that if you were living in the present tense with Rachel, going through these events as they happened, it would be very depressing. And I was like, I don't want to write that book. I wrote this book primarily to cheer myself up during the pandemic, and I wanted to feel only joy, even though I was talking about tough things and so doing it in the past tense, she looks back on herself. And it's the attitude throughout the book is, you know, God, I was an idiot, but what a great pair of legs. And I really wanted. Because there's such a temptation to pulverize your younger self and to guilt your own young self for sleeping with the wrong people or doing the wrong things or saying the wrong things. And I want the reader themselves to be like, think of their own past and go, oh, God, what an idiot. But what a pair of legs.

[Miles Parks]

Caroline o' Donoghue. Her novel is the Rachel Incident. Caroline, congratulations, and thank you so much.

[Caroline O'Donoghue]

Thank you, Miles. It's been wonderful.

[Andrew Limbong]

That's it for this week on NPR's Book of the Day. Let us know what you think. You can write to [e-mail] I'm Andrew Limbong. The podcast is produced by Isabella Gomez Armiento and Ashley Montgomery and edited by Megan Sullivan. Our founding editor is Petra Maher. The show elements for this week were produced and edited by Eric McDaniel, Phil Harrell, Julie Depp, Brock, Martin Girdwood, Alexis Williams, Liam McBain, Cory Antonio Rose, Jessica Plachek. Hiba Ahmad, Samantha Balaban, Lucy Perkins and Gabe o' Connor. Beth Donovan is our managing editor. Thanks for listening.

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