Again Rachel
Oh holy crap you guys. Today, we are not here to talk about just any book. We are here to talk about the new novel from the QUEEN of warm, affecting, hilarious fiction herself, MS MARIAN KEYES (thunderous applause)
Not only are we talking a new Marian Keyes novel, we are also talking a return to our beloved Walsh family, and arguably our favourite Walsh - Rachel! When we last saw Rachel in The Mystery of Mercy Close she was happily married to sexy, tight-pantsed Luke and living in New York as a serene addiction therapist. But now she's back in Ireland and has had many changes in her life. What's going on and WHY ARE WE SO TRAUMATIZED BY THE FAMILY TREE GRAPHIC AT THE BEGINNING
Points of note include:
• The aforementioned Most Traumatizing Family Tree Graphic Ever Drawn
• The Walshes and OH MY GOD HOW MUCH WE LOVE THEM
• Addiction and the reality of how it effects so so many of us - more than we're willing to admit
• The effect of trauma on your reality
• The corrosive nature of shame
• The undeniable human miracle of recovery
• And how we are 100% on board with Mammy Walsh's funeral demands
Tangents you ask? Oh they were plentiful. Including, but not limited to:
• Chloe's weirdly specific fantasy about buying wind chimes with Queen Marian in Busan, South Korean (before or after marrying BTS's Jungkook, she is not particular)
• The theory that success in business is inextricably linked to the volume and quality of your coat wardrobe, and hence the cultural moment that was K-Drama Itaewon Class
• A very strange interlude about Chloe's fanny and Soap and Glory products (don't ask)
• An introduction to Saoirse and Cliodhna's plant babies
• Katie's middle name is Veronica and for some reason that's hilarious
• "Childhood horseriding = abnormally muscular adult calves"
Oh we were born to do this show you guys
Catch the full episode
Back in the long ago nineties, Rachel Walsh was a mess.
But a spell in rehab transformed everything. Life became very good, very quickly. These days, Rachel has love, family, a great job as an addiction counsellor, she even gardens. Her only bad habit is a fondness for expensive trainers.
But with the sudden reappearance of a man she’d once loved, her life wobbles.
She’d thought she was settled. Fixed forever. Is she about to discover that no matter what our age, everything can change?
Is it time to think again, Rachel?
More on Marian Keyes:
Marian Keyes is a phenomenon. The multi-million copy, internationally bestselling author of some of the most widely loved genre-defying novels of the past thirty years – such as Rachel’s Holiday, Anybody Out There and Grown Ups – has millions of fans around the world. They are irresistibly drawn by her warmth and wit, fearless honesty, relatable characters and relationships, and sheer storytelling magic. Not only has Marian inspired and entertained countless readers, but also the next generation of writers too.
As a beloved author herself, Marian is a passionate champion of storytellers everywhere, playing an active role in encouraging new voices. She has been the chair of judges for the Comedy Women in Print prize, a sponsor of the Curtis Brown Creative Marian Keyes scholarship, and most recently ran her own hugely popular Instagram Live series bringing free creative writing courses to thousands of viewers. Marian also uses her position to raise some of the most challenging issues of our time, including addiction, immigration, depression, domestic violence and the Repeal the Eighth campaign.
Both critically acclaimed and commercially unstoppable, Marian’s fourteenth novel Grown Ups went straight to No.1 in hardback and paperback in four global territories: UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards Audiobook of the Year. In addition to her novels, Marian has written two collections of journalism, as well as been the star of the second series of her hit show Between Ourselves aired on BBC Radio 4 at the start of 2021.
Again Rachel, the sequel to her ground-breaking novel Rachel’s Holiday, will be Marian’s fifteenth novel.
Marian is based in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.
To find out more about Marian Keyes, visit