RACHEL'S HOLIDAY, Marian's classic novel about addiction, is being given a new lease of life with a fantastic new jacket treatment. Here's Rachel Walsh, twenty-seven and the miserable owner of size 8 feet. She has regular congress with Luke Costello, a man who wears his leather trousers tight. And she's fond - some might say too fond - of recreational drugs. Until she finds herself being frogmarched to the Cloisters - Dublin's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. She's outraged. Surely she's not thin enough to be an addict? Heartsick and Luke-sick, she seeks redemption in the shape of Chris, a Man with a Past. A man who might be more trouble than he's worth.
RACHEL'S HOLIDAY, Marian's classic novel about addiction, is being given a new lease of life with a fantastic new jacket treatment. Here's Rachel Walsh, twenty-seven and the miserable owner of size 8 feet. She has regular congress with Luke Costello, a man who wears his leather trousers tight. And she's fond - some might say too fond - of recreational drugs. Until she finds herself being frogmarched to the Cloisters - Dublin's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. She's outraged. Surely she's not thin enough to be an addict? Heartsick and Luke-sick, she seeks redemption in the shape of Chris, a Man with a Past. A man who might be more trouble than he's worth.
New York woman goes into rehab. But this isn't unfortunately Julia Wertz but Marian Keyes, whose snark crosses the line into actually being an unpleasant person. Her description of the other people in rehab makes it quite clear she thinks she's better than them and shouldn't be there... a whole lot of "I'm innocent, let me out!" The farmer she thinks is 'gay' because he mainly speaks to men, did it occur to you he might be avoiding you and with good reason? The people you say "weren't really men," yes they were, you don't get to choose. And so on. Ms Keyes now says she doesn't read male authors because they 'aren't interesting.' I've come to the same conclusion about Ms Keyes.
New York woman goes into rehab. But this isn't unfortunately Julia Wertz but Marian Keyes, whose snark crosses the line into actually being an unpleasant person. Her description of the other people in rehab makes it quite clear she thinks she's better than them and shouldn't be there... a whole lot of "I'm innocent, let me out!" The farmer she thinks is 'gay' because he mainly speaks to men, did it occur to you he might be avoiding you and with good reason? The people you say "weren't really men," yes they were, you don't get to choose. And so on. Ms Keyes now says she doesn't read male authors because they 'aren't interesting.' I've come to the same conclusion about Ms Keyes.
I am not having much luck with quit-lit at the moment. Quite possibly because most of it is written by women and while that is a good thing in principle (it's better than women not writing, after all) there remains the question, Why is that? And the corollary, Why is it that we get formulations like, These men were alcoholics and many had done terrible things, without the understanding that many had probably had terrible things done to them as well - as had the female characters but that is generally understood. While the bits with her New York boyfriend - an Irish member of a band ironically called the Real Men (all men are real except the fictional ones, and he's fictional) - are fun, Rachel's stay in Not-The-Priory is, while not fun (it wouldn't be) a real drag. Not-The-Priory is a barebones rehab clinic which plays host to …
I am not having much luck with quit-lit at the moment. Quite possibly because most of it is written by women and while that is a good thing in principle (it's better than women not writing, after all) there remains the question, Why is that? And the corollary, Why is it that we get formulations like, These men were alcoholics and many had done terrible things, without the understanding that many had probably had terrible things done to them as well - as had the female characters but that is generally understood. While the bits with her New York boyfriend - an Irish member of a band ironically called the Real Men (all men are real except the fictional ones, and he's fictional) - are fun, Rachel's stay in Not-The-Priory is, while not fun (it wouldn't be) a real drag. Not-The-Priory is a barebones rehab clinic which plays host to a few interesting women and plenty of men who she claims are 'not really men at all' (and you're real are you? You're as fictional as the rest. Your comment is sexist and there is no way to argue it isn't). And the farmer who is "obviously" gay because he doesn't trust women? I was expecting him to have been abused by female relatives but of course that wouldn't fit the narrative. And seeking emotional support from men does not (probably) mean you are a gayer.
This book felt about 50% too long for me. And while I'm not sure I'd identify with male quit-lit either (me: not got into fights (more likely to be assaulted - and have been), not been jailed (arrested once that's it), more getting sober because alcohol plays hell with my BPD) I wanted to get early release from this one also.
