Since then, I've carried this novel around the world with me like a rectangular security blanket, returning to it whenever I've needed comfort or familiarity. Sarah Breen I was in my early twenties when I first read Rachel's Holiday and, drug addiction aside, there's never been a fictional character I've related to more than the original unreliable narrator herself, Rachel Walsh. John Boyne's latest book is The Echo Chamber Happy birthday to Rachel, and congratulations to Marian on her incredible career. Like the great writer she is, Marian has proved both prolific and consistent in her work, and her willingness to discuss mental health openly has helped many of us who have faced similar struggles. When I was a Dublin bookseller in the mid-'90s, it wasn't easy to keep up with demand for Rachel's Holiday my hands were turned pink from the amount I had to scan through the tills. John Boyne Marian Keyes employs humour to mask pain, optimism to cope with tragedy, and wit to stave off despair. Damian Barr's books include Maggie & Me and You Will Be Safe Here. She is also a glorious supporter of her readers and of new writing talents – as generous as she is talented. In the intervening 25 years, Marian has given millions of readers thousands of hours of pure reading joy. And what characters – Rachel Walsh exploded into my life and has never left. Writers who prioritise the stories of everyday women are subject to the same sneering sexism their characters must face. To celebrate the 25th birthday today of Marian Keyes’s now classic novel Rachel’s Holiday, we asked fellow writers to explain what Rachel and Marian mean to themĭamian Barr Marian Keyes is dismissed by those who have never read her – just as Maeve Binchy was before her.
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