Rachelle Unreich: On Helping People Through Trauma

Rachelle Unreich has been a journalist for 38 years, including seven years in New York and Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Rolling Stone, and the Sydney Morning Herald, and she also has been extensively published in the U.S., the U.K., and Southeast Asia. She lives in Melbourne, Australia. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

In this post, Rachelle discusses the hope at the center of her mother’s true-life story in her debut memoir, A Brilliant Life, her advice for other writers, and more!

Name: Rachelle Unreich
Literary agent: Tara Wynne, Curtis Brown/ Fiona Henderson, The Bold Type/
Translation agent: Liz Dennis at Curtis Brown, U.K.
Book title: A Brilliant Life
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: November 28, 2023 (U.S.)
Genre/category: Memoir
Elevator pitch: As my mother Mira was nearing the end of her life, I wanted to find out how she not only survived the Holocaust, but managed to thrive afterwards. She had lessons of resilience and fortitude that I wanted to learn—and I sought to uncover what was behind the mysterious occurrences that always seemed to happen around her.

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What prompted you to write this book?

I’d always hoped to write my mother’s story, but it wasn’t until the pandemic—where I was living in the most locked-down city in the world (Melbourne, Australia) and felt a sense of bleakness around me—that I realized how many people could benefit from learning about her. She was an incredible person and presented a

helpful blueprint by which to live.

During lockdown, I would walk with my neighbor, whose husband had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. She always wanted to hear about Mira, to be reassured that one could go through something incredibly traumatic, and still live a purposeful, happy life after that. And she was also drawn to the spiritual side of Mira’s experiences, which reminded us both that we are all connected in a deep, inexplicable way.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

Although I’d been carrying the idea in my head for years—decades!—I began writing in September 2021 and did not leave my desk for six weeks, staying there until midnight most days. The day I determined that it was time to start, it was like a fire had been lit beneath me. I didn’t have a plan laid out, but worked through the chronology of my mother’s life, adding in bits of my own when the story needed that context, or when I felt the reader required a change of pace. At the end of six weeks, I had a first draft and an agent. That was almost two years ago.

As a journalist of 38 years, often writing cover stories for magazines including Harper’s Bazaar and Rolling Stone (in Australia), it’s my second nature to dig for information. I uncovered archival material that was unknown to my family and discovered things that had happened to my mother and her relatives that even she never knew during her lifetime.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

I had grown up around publishing; my brother, 19 years older than me, was one of Australia’s first independent publishers. I was reminded by how passionate publishers are. Even though this has to be an economic enterprise, there are still choices made on the basis of emotion, instinct and gut feeling. I’d been a journalist since I was in my teens, but in publishing I had so much more of a say in matters. The end result feels very collaborative.

I was also surprised by how many of my own mistakes I picked up when I saw the book in hardcopy form, typeset. It was so different to seeing it on a computer screen, and my brain could easily identify things I’d missed onscreen.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Before I began, I thought I needed to have a plan, with a chapter layout and overall structure. But whenever I tried to do one, it didn’t work out and I’d be discouraged. When I finally sat down, it was with no plan whatsoever. I realized I understand the beats of storytelling, and it’s something you feel, rather than something you work out on a piece of paper. And I was surprised how much I loved working on such a massive project, compared to smaller newspaper or magazine articles I’d write. I thought it would be furious, challenging and almost oppressive work. But every day there was this adrenaline rush as I went to sit at my desk, that I hadn’t felt for a long time.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

My mother Mira had wisdom that was borne from her experiences, and I wanted to share that. I think they will help anyone who’s going through loss or grief; anyone who has been through something traumatic. Some people will relate to the mother-daughter theme, while others might respond to the notion that the universe is a mysterious place where inexplicable things occur. No matter who the reader, I hope they will feel uplifted. Mira was an inspiring individual.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Do not be discouraged. I am 57, and this is my first book; it really is never too late. And I always prefer to read my work aloud before submitting it. It’s like listening to music; one can very quickly ascertain where the rhythms are clunky, and when they flow well.

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