Book Review: The Reappearance Of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

‘The Reappearance Of Rachel Price’ by Holly Jackson was released in 2024. It is another one of Jackson’s stand-alone novels. This story follows Bel Price, the eighteen-year-old daughter of a woman who mysteriously vanished, abandoning her toddler in the backseat of her car.

Sixteen years after Rachel Price, Bel’s mother mysteriously vanished, a film crew has come to town to make a documentary about the mystery behind Rachel and her disappearance, interviewing friends, family, witnesses, and staging reinactments of what happened to Rachel and Bel, but, despite being proven innocent in a court of law, most people suspect Bel’s father, Charlie of killing Rachel.

So when one of the documentary crew accuses Charlie behind his back to an extra, Bel storms off set and happens across the ghost of her past, corporeal, wandering in search of her home, resurrected and reappeared. Rachel Price is alive, and Bel doesn’t believe her story.

Once again, Jackson created a fantastic family dynamic, full of bite, strong voices, and personality. I loved the snippy, spiteful nature that Bel had, and how her guard was always up, it made her dynamic with Rachel and Carter very distinct and interesting.

I really enjoyed the running metaphors in this story, how Bel feels about the back seat of the car, and everything that comes from that. I loved how subtle some of Bel’s decisions when it came to where she’d sit. There was a lot of symbolism and subtlety in the story when it came to Bel’s decision-making, the way things fell into place etc.

I didn’t see the plot twists coming either, which is something I enjoy about reading Jackson’s stories, I never quite know where I’m going to find myself. They’re so gripping and twisty. Although I found that this book felt a bit cartoon hero-ish with a dramatic villain-intent speech during the latter end of the book, the fallout, although interesting and compelling, was overshadowed by that for me.

Ultimately, I did really enjoy the domestic thriller element of gaslighting, secret-keeping and melodrama that unfolds in a house you can’t trust. I felt how tense and pent-up the frustrations were within the Price house. It was very hard to read, not because I didn’t want to, but because it was so sad and you could feel how overwhelmed Charlie and Rachel and Bel were.

This book was a very fun read and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a bit of domestic thriller, a sense of vigilanteeism and external pressure turning up the heat on your protagonist, instead of the internal monologue. With subtle character development, moments that made me snort, and ones that broke my heart, ‘The Reappearance Of Rachel Price’ was a painful story full of anguish and second-guessing. I would definitely recommend it!