I remember when The Vacationers by Emma Straub came out at the end of May, 2014. It was hyped as one of the “must reads” of that summer. I don’t know why I didn’t read it, but I was certainly not reading as much back in 2014 as I am now. So, I was excited that it was available on the Libby app, so I gave it a listen.
Ms. Straub sets the scene with a vacation to beautiful Mallorca, Spain. Franny and Jim are celebrating their 35th anniversary. They are also on the brink of divorce. They invite their son, Bobby and his wife, Carmen to come, along with their teenage daughter, Sylvia. Also invited are good friends Charles and Lawrence, who are trying to adopt a baby.
My problem with the book is that not that much happens, except the tensions between everyone is explored. Franny does have some hysterical scenes with a tennis pro who was a teenage heartthrob of hers. The most likable character, to me, is Sylvia, who is trying to make sense of everything going on around her, while having a crush on her Spanish tutor.
3.5/5
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