"The Vacationers," by Emma Straub

“The Vacationers” (Riverhead, 2014), by Emma Straub, is, as one blurb claims, a “beyond-the-beach read.” In other words, it is a perfect summer read, and it takes place in and around a gorgeous summer house in Mallorca, but it is intelligent as well as enjoyable to read. It is a quick read, and mostly for fun, but it does grapple a bit with issues of family, love, growing up and becoming more mature, and learning when to forgive. The Post family – Jim and Franny and their young adult children Bobby and Sylvia – takes a two-week vacation in Mallorca, along with Bobby’s girlfriend Carmen and two family friends, the gay married couple Charles and Lawrence. Jim has recently made some serious mistakes which jeopardize both his marriage and his career; Franny hasn’t decided whether to forgive him; Bobby and Carmen are also having relationship problems; Sylvia is about to leave for college and wants a new start there. In Mallorca, they take day trips, eat delicious food, swim, have arguments, make love, negotiate their issues, and with a few twists and turns, move on to the next stages of their lives. All of this is expertly handled by the author. “The Vacationers” is a light and beautifully prepared soufflé of a novel.