Review: The Vacationers by Emma Straub

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Publisher: Picador

Release date: 5 June 2014

Rating: *** and a half

Back cover blurb: It was set to be the family vacation of a lifetime. From Manhattan to Majorca, two weeks in a remote island villa, with the sort of relaxation, culture and cuisine that only Europe can offer. At least, that was Franny's plan. She wasn't counting on the extra baggage ...
 




 






The Vacationers was a quick but satisfying read for me. I've not read anything by Emma Straub before, so I didn't have any particular expectations going in to the novel. From the back cover blurb I was expecting a fun summery read, and that was exactly what I got.

The book centres around the Post family who are swapping their lives in Manhattan, USA for a two week vacation in Mallorca, Spain. Staying in a villa acquired through a friend, the Posts are expecting the holiday to paper over the cracks of their fractured lives, if not repair them fully.

For Franny, it is a chance to get away from it all and try to repair her marriage to Jim, the very same marriage that they should be celebrating thirty-five years of.

For Jim, it is a chance to try and fix things with Franny, to show how much he regrets past events, and he is not

For Sylvia at 18, it is her last family holiday prior to enrolling at Brown University. The Posts have booked Sylvia a Spanish tutor, Joan to make the most of their time there. As soon as Sylvia sets eyes on the beautiful Joan, she is no longer contemplating the local lingo, but instead checking out the local talent.

Joined in Mallorca by their son Bobby Post, 28 years old, with a girlfriend ten years his senior who no one much likes, and Franny's best friend Charles and his boyfriend Lawrence, the Posts vacation was never going to be the quick fix that the family needed.

But none of them are prepared for the chaos that ensues, the lessons they learn and the emotions they feel over the short two week period.

Is it the heat? The Country? Or something else entirely? Pop this book into your beach bag and join the Posts on vacation to find out... 

The Vacationers is available to buy online now and from all good book shops.

    Thank you to the publishers who sent me an advanced proof copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.