MARIAN KEYES
THE AUTHOR IS BRINGING BACK HER BEST LOVED CHARACTER
Life hasn’t always been easy for Marian Keyes, who has been open and honest about her battle with alcoholism and depression. But the life experience has allowed the bestselling Irish author to tackle dark topics in her novels, such as addiction, loss and suicidal ideation, with warmth, humour and highly your sister relatable or best characters friend. who feel like
Her newest offering, Again, Rachel, sees Keyes revisit one of her favourite characters in the follow-up to her 1998 worldwide hit, Rachel’s Holiday. Picking up two decades after her stint in Cloisters clinic to treat her cocaine addiction, Rachel has finally gotten her life on track with a great job and a new boyfriend. She even does some work at the clinic to help others battle their demons. The storyline was inspired by personal experience. “Having gone through rehab myself, it was one of the happiest times of my life in a bizarre way,” the 58-year-old writer tells The Guardian. “The bonds that you form with the people in your group, the other walking wounded … we were all trying to help each other. It’s actually very beautiful,” she says. Everything seems to be on track for Rachel until her ex, Luke Costello, walks back into her life and it all starts to unravel. “It was lovely writing him again,” Keyes admits. “He was very, very sexy in Rachel’s Holiday.” While the subject matter sounds heavy, don’t let it put you off. Keyes guarantees every one of her books will always have a happy ending. “Because you can’t depend on real life to do it for you,” she explains. (Out now)