Home and Life
Rachel is 27. She lives and works in New York, has a long-suffering boyfriend called Luke and is far too fond of cocaine and any other recreational drug she can lay her hands on. And when an accidental overdose is interpreted as a suicide attempt, she is protestingly removed by her family, brought back to Dublin to an anti-addiction clinic. Briefly cheered by the fantasy of a Betty Ford type outfit complete with saunas and addicted rock stars, she discovers the reality is shabby rooms, horrible food and lots of middle-aged men in brown jumpers. There is, however, denim-shirted Chris, who, in the absence of anything more promising, becomes the focus of Rachel's fantasy life. The story tracks Rachel's recovery from complete denial, through rage, depression and self-hate to an eventual acceptance of her addiction, and the possibility of redemption.
Rachel's Holiday is compulsive reading ... funny, moving and inescapably honest. You feel this writer really knows about the highs and lows and self-deceptions involved in addiction and it's no surprise to learn that Marian Keyes herself is a recovered alcoholic and spent six weeks in a rehab clinic fighting her problem