“Underneath her skin, she just wants to fit in”

Freckles - From Romance to Identity

Cecelia Ahern’s most anticipated novel, Freckles, strays from her usual and most definitely fantastic romance novels such as Ps I love You, Postscript and Where Rainbows End. She is best known for writing heartachingly romantic storylines that have often been adapted for the big screen but we see her pivot when it comes to Freckles. However, we wondered why this was considering she is so good at what she does - writing for romance.

Freckles - A Change of Heart

It seems as though with her new novel Freckles, Cecilia Ahern has had a change of heart when it comes to topics and themes. However, as a modern Irish author, it is of no surprise that she has decided to explore more profound theories and views around the self. This really reflects the change in Irish society over the last number of years and how it has moved to a more progressive place - one that often puts the self before others in a necessary way.

With the concepts we are exposed to in Freckles such as self love, self worth, identity and reflection, author Cecelia Ahern seems to dip her toes a little deeper into the philosophy of life and how those around you, shape you and she has captured it so perfectly through the characters she portrays throughout the course of Freckles.

Freckles - Loneliness, Rejection and Self Reflection

This novel without a doubt cast a light on what it’s like to feel like you’re an outsider. It combines all those themes and ideas that come along with the concept of feeling different such as loneliness, isolation and want but also touches base with the idea that even though we may be experiencing inner turmoil, on the outside we still look fine. 

Even though we see Allegra falter many times throughout the novel in the face of rejection and loneliness, she still manages to pull herself together through her own self reflection and we even see her continuing to pose nude at an artists exhibition even on her hardest days - something you wouldn’t expect. But, Allegra is not like any other character that Cecelia Ahern has written before. In fact she is different in many ways - including the freckles dotted all over her body.

Freckles - Allegra

Allegra’s character was loveable, regardless of how many times she was called ‘strange’ or ‘weird’ by those around her. One trait we found particularly interesting was her regimented routine. Allegra allowed herself to navigate the chaos in her world through routine. We see her go about her daily life as a parking warden - from her scheduled shower time to where she eats her lunch on the park bench at the same time everyday to when she knows she is going to see that yellow ferrari who parks illegally on a daily basis and who she despises with all her heart. 

However, routine along with the self begin to fall apart for Allegra when the owner of the yellow ferrari, Rooster, reminds her amid a vocal tussle over a parking ticket that she is the product of the five people that she interacts most with on a daily basis, which to her dismay, seems to be absolutely no one at all - apart from her number one, her father.

Freckles - The Search for Five

As Allegra’s world begins to turn upside down from the wonderment of who her five are, Allegra returns home to Kerry for a flying visit that allows her to secretly compose her list of five. She does this in the hopes that the friends and even ex-boyfriend she left behind will still somehow be able to reconnect easily with her. However, it is here in Kerry that Freckles realizes she has no five at all. 

With this blow, Freckles becomes determined to find her five, but not any ordinary five. She looks in almost all corners of the world for hers and even writes letters to Katie Taylor asking her if she can include her in her five. 

When Allegra’s search for five keeps coming up short evening after posting her letters, she reverts back to the original plan that she put together before she moved to Dublin, to reconnect with her mother. It is only then that when this encounter with her mother takes a turn for the worse that Freckles realises it’s not who the five are in your life that matter but rather the want and effort that others make to be in your life, regardless of how ‘weird’ you may appear to others.

More readers opinions:

“This book struck a chord with me because like Allegra I struggled to think of my five. I think this really helped me enjoy the book because I could really relate to her” - Francesca

“I loved this book - it scores a firm 5/5 from me” - Audrey 

The Reading Snug, x