The Reappearance of Rachel Price

content warning: ❗some graphic violence❗

POV: 3rd person
keywords/phrases: abandonment, betrayal, family dysfunction, distrust
tropes: red herring, dramatic reveal, twist ending
spice: 0 🔥
language: 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

The premise of The Reappearance of Rachel Price was utterly intriguing, as Bel and her father, as well as their extended family, are taking part in a documentary about Bel’s mother. Sixteen years before, Rachel Price disappeared without a trace, leaving infant Bel alone in a car by the side of the road. It’s a case that has fascinated the world, in no small part because Bel was the sole witness. A baby too young to have any memory of what happened to her mother. In the midst of the filming, who should reappear but Rachel herself, bringing with her a lot of questions about just where she’s been. Bel’s gut tells her there’s more to the story, and she’s determinded to find out the truth.

I adore a main character who is believable, who is less than perfect. Bel is that character. She’s snarky, standoffish, and sometimes not the nicest person in the world. Is she often unlikable, even mean? Yeah, she is. But instead of being off-putting, it felt authentic, at least in my opinion. Bel has lived with the disappearance of her mother, lived with the questions that she can’t answer, lived within the shadows of those who believe her father is responsible. The trauma of that had formed her personality, affected her ability to trust. So the way she acted felt real to me, especially in the way she reacted to her mother, a woman to whom she never knew or bonded.

The writing is so immersive, bringing the reader immediately into Bel’s world. There was such an atmosphere of suspense, which really lent itself to the storyline. There were so many red herrings, and I fell for all of them. I appreciate a story that can take me by surprise, and this one definitely did that with its twists and turns!