The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

A Review... Or Is It?

Okay, so my little joke there should make much more sense once you’ve read this book. 

Which you should.

Immediately - well, as soon as you’ve read my review, and hit all those lovely buttons, including like, comment, share, etc. 

Then you should definitely read the book. 

Annabelle ‘Bel’ Price is a bright, funny, and well-adjusted teenage girl. 

Well… as well-adjusted as a girl can be after she was found in the back of her mother’s abandoned car sixteen years ago. 

Her mother, Rachel? Never seen or heard from again. 

Until now. 

In the middle of reluctantly filming a documentary about her mother’s case, Rachel Price returns. Not only does she return, but she does so with an incredible story of abduction, captivity, and a daring escape. 

Bel was only two years old when her mother disappeared on that same snowy road where she was found babbling in the back seat of their car. As much as a person can, she had pretty much come to terms with the fact that her mother’s name still caused a stir in true-crime circles.

But Bel isn’t two years old anymore.

And Rachel isn’t missing. 

So why can’t she find the overwhelming joy everyone seems to think she should feel at this miraculous twist in the tale?

Why do tiny, yet inconsistent details of her mother’s story keep snagging on Bel’s uncomfortably suspicious mind?

And why does it feel so crazy that she’s the only one with questions?

When Bel starts tugging on those vexing little threads, she will unravel sixteen years of small-town secrets, unearth family skeletons, and also have to question everything she thought she knew about herself and those she loves…

So, Holly Jackson is - and I cannot stress this enough - an EXCEPTIONAL author. 

Producing almost a book a year for the last six years, she is the queen of young adult thrillers, and every one has made it to the top end of the bestseller lists for the New York Times and Sunday Times. 

The Reappearance of Rachel Price is no exception, reaching the no.1 spot on both lists within 2 weeks of publication. 

Considering I’m pretty sure the words ‘epic’ and ‘fantasy’ are tattooed into the fuckin’ fabric of my DNA, any time I find a love outside that genre, I tend to take notice. I’ve always felt Jackson’s main strengths are rooted in the psychological backbone of her stories, and TRORP is no exception. Instead of twists for the sake of shock value, gratuitous violence/aggression, and passive characters/victims who are just dragged along by the misery, each choice made by Jackson and therefore her characters is rooted in the psychological accuracy, relevant to the real world. 

Even though all her current books are marketed as young adult, Jackson doesn’t shy away from the complex realities of heavy topics like trauma, grief, mental illness, etc. She also doesn’t treat the target audience (approx. 12 - 18 years old) as idiots regarding her commentary on the very genre she operates within. 

Jackson’s books always make astute, if subtle, observations about important social issues related to crime, punishment, and the legal system. 

The Reappearance of Rachel Price is a clear commentary on the often exploitative nature of true-crime media.

Bel not only has to deal with the disappearance, reappearance, and mystery of her mother, but she has to do it all under the intrusive gaze of the film crew documenting her family’s tragedy-turned-miracle. 

Less clear, but equally important and impressive to me are Jackson’s allusions to the discourse around the idea of ‘the perfect victim’ -  especially as this is the basis for my Master’s project. 

I read a comment thread under a post about the (at the time) newly released Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who served ten years for her role in the murder of her mother. Now, I’m not wanting or willing to discuss my opinions on Gypsy and her case here. What I do want to talk about, thoug,h is the comment that caught my eye:

“Why do people act like the only ‘worthy’ victim is a dead victim?”

Blunt? Yes. 

Seemingly true, the more I look into the idea? Also, sadly, yes. 

And even the dead ones aren’t safe from derision anymore. 

‘What happened to them was awful, BUT…’

‘Yeah, BUT what did they do to provoke it…’

‘Such a sad story, BUT I don’t get why people don’t just walk away…’

Much to my autistic chagrin, we do not live in a black and white world when it comes to… well, pretty much anything. 

More shades of grey up in this bitch than a certain E.L James novel.

But I don’t and probably will never understand why people are so desperate to find fault in the VICTIM and redemption in the PERPETRATOR.

Like… I just don’t get it. 

Then again, at the same time, I don’t believe everyone who commits a violent crime is inherently evil, malicious, etc., etc. 

I do (mostly) believe that people can change, and the part of me that doesn’t believe it, really wants to. 

I just don’t understand, agree with, or like that if the victim doesn’t just (for want of a better phrase) lie down and accept the abuse, violence, suffering, etc. then they suddenly don’t seem to be ‘worthy’ of sympathy, support, or, ya know, basic human decency and respect. 

😮‍💨

I’m very aware that I probably haven’t explained myself or my point very well up there. As much as it’s part of my point, the complexities, exceptions, and ‘what-ifs’ are extensive enough that I’d be writing for a minimum of three months before I even got halfway through all of this. 

To bring it back to the book and summarise as best I can, Jackson sees the complexities, the controversy, and the layered conflicts when it comes to criminal cases - both true and fictional. She not only avoids sweeping them away with broad generalisations, but she actively uses the truth of them to ground TRORP (and her other works) in a gritty and unflinching reality.

So I almost definitely would’ve read this of my own volition anyway, but I blitzed through it pretty fast (even for me, hehe) as part of my reading for my Master’s dissertation. As such, I admit I didn’t really take the time to enjoy myself. 

BUT, I think this proves how good the book is because even though I went through it like I was on autopilot, I was invested in the story, the characters, and the mystery surrounding them. 

I’m not a big ‘re-reader’ - my TBR list is so long, if I reread all my favourites I’d be dead before I even made a dent in it haha. 

But The Reappearance of Rachel Price? Now this one I’m sure I can and will make the time for a round two. 

You might even say, the book will make a reappearance in my reading future...

I'll see myself out.