The Reappearance of Rachel Price

Eighteen-year-old Bel is the protagonist and narrator of The Reappearance of Rachel Price. Bel’s childhood is tainted by the mysterious disappearance of her mother, Rachel Price, who remains unaccountably absent for 16 years, having disappeared when Bel was only two. This event shapes Bel’s life and character significantly; Bel is guarded in her manner, and she does not trust people enough to let them in. She is only close to her father, Charlie, and to Carter, the girl she believes to be her cousin. As Bel untangles the mystery of her parents’ respective disappearances, she is revealed to be a determined person who is willing to rethink her own foundational beliefs about herself and her family in order to uncover the truth.

After the emotional turmoil of her mother’s revelations about her father’s violence, and after processing Charlie’s subsequent death, Bel resolves her issues around her Fear of Abandonment when she learns that her mother never planned to leave without her. This moment allows Bel to appreciate her connection with her current romantic interest, Ash, and she also gains the maturity to accept his inevitable return to England without emotional distress. Furthermore, Bel suggests that she might reconnect with friends that she has abandoned, and she reflects that she even would be comfortable with Carter leaving their family home because she knows that Carter will always return to her.