Rachel Goes to Hollywood

Marion Keyes, author of Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan's Getting Married and Rachel's Holiday began writing short stories whilst living in London. She was still working full-time in an office job. Poolbeg accepted her stories straight away. Her path to full-time writing was, she admits, very easy, her experience unusual. She continued double jobbing for three years, getting up early every day to work on her books before going to work in the office. She only gave up the day job 18 months ago when she was half-way through Rachel's Holiday.

Success has come easy it seems. Lucy Sullivan was optioned by the television production company, Carnival Productions. Watermelon was optioned by an independent producer in LA. Rachel's Holiday has been optioned by Touchstone for a rumoured six figure sum. Whilst her style makes for an easy cross-over into film she is not interest in screen-writing although she'd be delighted 'if the films bring more people to the books.'

The success of Bridget Jones has spawned a plethora of "New Confessional" style writing. So how do you write NC? 'Irony does help. The idea is to do things with irony without being scathing. You might as well laugh, it's all part of the zeitgeist thing.' All very 21st century, a modern attitude that has its roots in hard fact. Laughter has been scientifically proven to be the best medicine. It relieves stress.

Rachel, the central character, lives in New York, is a nouveau drug addict, meaning she is middle class and considers her habit to be recreational. She's in denial about her addiction, as a result loses the love of her life and disconsolate she returns to Dublin. She is forced into therapy by her parents who are at their wits end.

Aged 34 and hailing from South County Dublin Marion's book picks up on many of the southside's idiosyncrasies. There are elements of Bridget Jones and Jilly Cooper whose style is the prototype used by New Confessional' writers, Helen Fielding, Mike Gale and Marion Keyes. The difference with Rachel's holiday is that it's very Dublin. Rachel is a bit of a 'chancer-mor' who blaggs her way into work and romances. Her learned 'affectedness' is something engrained in anyone who grew up in Dublin in the late 80's, where what you were was so much more important than who you were. Being a 'head around town' was the ultimate accolade. So was denying your roots and the obligatory emigration to 'make it'. This displaced generation balanced real jobbing it with partying hard.

Recreational drug taking was par for the course. You were the exception rather than the norm if you didn't partake. In true Dublin disposition her problems are dealt with in a black humoured fashion. Rachel goes off the rails but can still see the funny side of things. Marion adapts this tendency to get across the darker message of the book.

Rachel walked the tightrope between partying and falling down, something a lot of us are familiar with. Marion defends a person's right to recreational drugs, 'it is an individual's propensity to addiction due to low self-esteem and self loathing' that unbalances this circus act. Marion celebrates the right to party.

In true 'New confessional' style Rachel is redeemed. There is a happy ending. Rachel has changed. The big redemption is in her as a result of her change. It has a romantic, happy ending.

Marion's lived in London for eleven years. She feels Dublin has changed immensely in that time. 'It used to be so incredibly parochial and depressing, always looking to London. We had no confidence in ourselves as a nation. As a nation we've come of age in the last five years. It's very interesting. The whole religious thing bothered me a lot. The national conscience was in the hands of the Church. We're now more liberal and compassionate as a nation. We're going through our Thatcher years now. This is the price we pay for confidence. It makes you tougher as a nation.' A number of big names are interested in playing the part. It should be a Commitment for the 90's. Marion doesn't know what the movie will be like. It might never get made, but the signs are good. 'If it does happen I might not like it. I wrote the best book I could write. The film is really nothing to do with me.'

Imagine Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, Winona Ryder or Cameron Diaz being able to master that southside accent?

And as for irony....?

'Humour is an acceptable way of dealing with unacceptable issues - a sweetener if you will. The book hit a chord. It spoke the language of recovery. It dealt with the pop psychology. It is a sexy subject as perceived by the media but their interest will be short lived.'