There’s something about Marian’s style of writing that just gets into your soul. It’s funny, relatable, and adorable. There’s also times she goes on a deep dive into topics you don’t generally talk about, and you don’t even realise that’s where you’ve gone until you are there. And when it’s over, you are so glad it happened.

Rachel telling Baam about what's above "the cave") " Baam, I told you. Up there, it's a world where only those who have been chosen can play. I'm sorry Baam. I want to take you too. But... I just can't..." [30] Publishes fiction debut The Thursday Murder Club, currently being adapted into a film by Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin Entertainment. Publishes her first book, Watermelon, about a woman who is abandoned by her husband after giving birth to their child; it is a runaway success. Marries Tony Baines (above); the following year quits her accounting job and the pair move to Ireland. In reply to Hwa Ryun on why she wanted to see the stars) " ...because... I'm afraid of the night." [10] Rachel's lesson of "Making a man out of Baam ver 3.0") " Baam!! Remember!! Never betray another!! Betraying is bad! No matter what happens, you must never betray another person! Especially not a woman. If you betray a woman, the world's ceiling will collapse." [26]The people who care about addicts have it very hard. So much of their time they’re plagued by suspicion, fear, thwarted hope, frustration, anger, and then, when they’ve finally convinced their loved one to get help, they usually feel terrible guilt.”

That was the great thing about being not-young: knowing through practical experience that feelings, even the worst of them, calm down and eventually ease. They’re probably not gone forever—that was another thing I’d learnt: the notion of ‘closure’ is unrealistic.” You’ve got to write books you would read,” Osman says. “I wanted to write an intelligent book that was very accessible. That’s not in a cynical way. I make television and if I’m proud of something I want the maximum number of people to enjoy it. My natural instinct has been to write something that people will take to their hearts.” To Khun Aguero Agnis) " Sly woman? Yes, you may be right. But to someone else, I'm the brightest woman ever. That's right. To that guy, I'm somewhat like a star. A star that shines so bright. That's what I should be like to that guy." [34]I can tell you that Rachel seems to be in a very good place as the story begins; she has a great job as head counsellor at The Cloisters, she is in love, all of her family are around her and she's discovered a love for gardening. Addiction is a thing of the past, except for fancy trainers and a hankering after a Chanel handbag, but who doesn't share those loves? Rachel to Khun Aguero Agnis) " If I'm here Baam won't be able to climb the Tower, since Baam's goal is not to climb the Tower, but to find me..." [28] About Khun Aguero Agnis to Po Bidau Bellerir) " A cute little blue kitten just crawled in from outside. And I'd really like to watch him die slowly in a cage. You can always just kill him of you get tired of playing with him." [50]

This book was such an emotional journey. It is touching, tender and heartbreaking but with the right touch of humor and smiles to save it from being a tear jerker. The author handles some really tough, deep, emotional issues with such finesse. And overall there is always a thread of Hope, strength and kindness that I really connected with. For instance Rachel identifies a lifetime struggle with low self-esteem and feelings of unworthines as an obstacle in her life journey. But she does not link that with her acceptance of the identity 'once an addict, always an addict' and her belief that she is not one of the 'normal' people. She also self flagellates in a way by refusing the benefits of much of modern medicine in case might trigger a relapse. Even when in real need and when recommended by her doctor. But the craic notwithstanding, these writers have more than whopping sales figures in common: Keyes was an alcoholic; Osman suffers from food addiction. As he says, “You are either controlling it or not controlling it.” There hasn’t been a day Osman hasn’t battled with food since he was nine (no surprise, the time his father left), around the same age that Keyes just knew “something was wrong, something was broken. Something needed painkilling.” At first it was sugar for her too, then books. They both mainlined Enid Blyton for a while. “But then alcohol was the big one,” she says. “The drug of choice. It was the thing that helped me cross over from feeling like a defective human being to being able to pass myself off as normal. But it was a problem immediately because I always wanted more.” There was no point ever in me asking for something specific—Chanel bags, global cooling, green traffic lights all the way home—the only thing I had consistently been given was an eventual acceptance of my situation, whatever that was.”I love Marian Keys and I generally think her writing is just getting better the older she gets. So I was excited to read her bewest book. I think this book is well written and thoughtful and as always I love the gentle humour and likable characters. But the further I got into the book, the more I found myself frustrated by Rachel's (and obviously Marian's) unquestioning true believer devotion to the AA philosophy of addiction and treatment.