The Rachel Incident

Published in 2023, The Rachel Incident is Caroline O’Donoghue’s third adult novel and her first adult novel published in the United States. O’Donoghue has said that the story is loosely based on her own youthful experiences as a woman in Ireland in the early 21st century. The Rachel Incident charts the coming-of-age story of Rachel Murray, who finishes college and begins adulthood in the shadow of the 2008 financial crash and subsequent recession. She meets her best friend, James Devlin, and they become entangled in the lives of Rachel’s college professor, Dr. Frederick Byrnes, and his wife Deenie. Rachel struggles to navigate romance and friendship and to find her career path. The book’s themes include The Importance of Enduring Friendship, Experimentation as a Means of Self-Exploration, and The Intensity of First Love.

This guide is based on the e-book version of the 2023 Knopf edition.

Content Warning: This guide briefly mentions abortion, drug use, child abuse, and anti-gay bias.

Plot Summary

In 2021, Rachel lives in London and works as a journalist for an expat Irish newspaper, The Hibernian Post. At a work event, she meets a man who went to college with her at University College Cork.