The gentle vowels of a and e
Whispered almost silently,
It makes me feel like I’m the one
Who haunts the pages, knows the men
And lives a life of love and fear,
My name is mine, and mine alone
So pull me in, a perfect spin
And whisper Rachel in my ear.
I love it when I come across books where my name is in the title, or the main character happens to be called Rachel. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier is one of my all time favourites and the main reason I picked it up was because of the title.
I’m now reading a book called The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue, and again I chose it for the title. I’m actually listening to it on audiobook and the experience feels so intimate because I share the main character’s name.
Hearing that soft Irish accent, gently saying Rachel in my ear, makes me feel like the character, James, is my best friend. And when he shortens it to the familiar Rach, I feel even closer to my new gay best friend.
We definitely need more books with Rachel in the central role.
Much Love
Rachel xx
Margot Kinberg
I hadn’t thought about it, Rachel, but I know what you mean. We have an intimate connection with our own names, so hearing them has a special pull. Little wonder people stop at those bracelet or charm displays to try to find their names…
patientandkindlove
I don’t feel like I hear of many Rachel’s nowadays and so I always get a buzz when one pops up in books and on TV. I can’t imagine there are many Margots in literature?!
Margot Kinberg
There are a few, Rachel, but unfortunately, no characters I’ve really liked. That’s what I get for not being called Emma or Jane or Elizabeth or something… 😉
Greg Dennison
I was about to share something I read as a kid because of the main character having the same name as me, then I realized you only know me as Greg, not by my real name…
Yet, on the other hand, kids on the playground often called me by the name of the aforementioned fictional character who had the same first name as me, and I grew to hate my own name because of that, combined with the fact that it’s more of an old person name, uncommon among people born in the 1970s. (I have another reason I don’t like my name, but I can’t explain without giving too much personal information away.) That’s half the reason I use Greg among Internet strangers now (the other half being that many of the stories I tell on DLTDGB really happened, and the people in them don’t know I’m writing about them, so, anonymity).