The Rachel Incident: A Novel

"Without giving away too much about the jury’s deliberations, this book had a lot of champions. If you like this genre—perhaps more than Dolly—it doesn’t get funnier or better. It’s for anyone who had interesting, fun, romantic times at university or in their twenties. It’s instantly recognisable. That’s the sheer brilliance of this book. We’ve all read the books on the shortlist twice. You read it once, to get a first impression. Then again for a second impression. This book was brilliant first time around and even better on the second round. It’s not easy to write about love in a way that feels authentic. It can come out false. There can very easily be a wrong note. And one wrong note can make a book not work. The Rachel Incident doesn’t put a foot wrong from page one to the end."