Again Rachel, by Marian Keyes

Twenty years after Rachel’s Holiday the middle Walsh sister once again features in this revisitation of the irrepressible Irish family. Now an addiction counsellor at the Dublin rehab facility that helped her, Rachel has a good life and a lovely boyfriend she feels unable commit to. When her ex-husband Luke returns to Ireland for his mother’s funeral, it brings up a load of unresolved issues for Rachel as she slowly relives the unravelling of her marriage. Can she resolve her issues, get closure with Luke and finally commit to Quin? It’s always good to spend time with the Walshes and we get a good dose of them here, with updates on Claire, Maggie, Anna and Helen as well as an introduction to the next generation – which possibly promises more Walsh books. But while it’s interesting to see how Rachel tackles her lifelong battle with addiction and satisfying to see her find happiness, it takes an awfully long time to get there. At almost 600 pages the story drags in places and the variety of quirky characters is not enough to lift it.