The strengths of this book lie primarily in the reader’s ability to more or less relate to the main character. The narrator, titular Rachel, is in her 30s, married and pregnant. She’s a journalist living in England, originally from Ireland. In passing she learns about the serious illness of a former professor, and this prompts her to reflect on her life in her early 20s. In particular, she focuses on the period of her life as she completed college. In her final semester, she takes […]

In 2022 London, Rachel Murray is a pregnant journalist mostly assigned to stories concerning her native Ireland. On a night out with fellow ex-pats, a chance remark causes her to reflect back on her time as an undergraduate student living in Cork, when she’d studied English, worked in a bookshop, lived with closeted male best friend and nurtured a crush on her favorite professor. So far, so routine. Even within the novel Rachel discusses living out a cliched existence as Bookshop girl. But I’ll give author […]