SOLVED: Book with a female character who always says "This really happened!" every time she tells a story. 90s or early 2000s. [s]

[Rachel]

This one is a bit of a long shot but I'm curious to see if anyone can help me identify it.

The book was adult fiction published in the 90s or early 2000s. It may have been a novel or a short story collection.

The only thing I remember is that there was a female character introduced by the narrator who always says, "This really happened!" every time she tells an anecdote about her life. The narrator, who is another character in the story, says that the woman always uses this catchphrase even if the story in question is unremarkable and nobody would question whether it really happened.

I think the phrase "This really happened" might also have been a chapter heading within the book. I've tried searching for it as a phrase in google books, but obviously it's a very common phrase and I haven't found any matches that resemble the book I am looking for.

Any help appreciated.

[Kris]

Rachel, could it be a male character that uses the catchphrase "This really happened? For example, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler:

One chapter is titled "This Really Happened". Quote from the book: "...his father... "Let me give you an example," he said. "Listen, now. This really happened." That was the way he always introduced his childhood. "This really happened," he would say, as if it were unthinkable, beyond belief, but then what followed never seemed so terrible to Luke."

https://books.google.com/advanced_boo... > Exact phrase: this really happened | Books | English | Subject: fiction | 1960-2007 ?

[Rachel]

Kris, you're absolutely right. Thank you - moving to solved

[Kris]

Great. Glad you found your book, Rachel. I often don't have luck with Google Book's advanced search, and just Google search a specific site (e.g., site:www.goodreads.com or site:www.amazon.com).