[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: Riverhead Books
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Kindle, Audio Book, Audible
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | iBooks[/alert]

The Post family is in the eye of a metaphorical storm, and all will know the full force of it in the coming days. Since it’s is about to hit, what better way to brace for landfall than to pack up family and friends and go to beautiful Mallorca, Spain, for two weeks? That is exactly what author Emma Straub has in mind for the characters in her newest novel, The Vacationers. Readers are guaranteed to laugh, cry, smile, reflect, relax, and feel excited to travel on this journey with this exceptional yet relatable family as they work through life-changing moments.

Family, love, support, affairs, debt, homosexuality, divorce, aging, unemployment, moving out, infidelity, truth and lies, self-acceptance, adoption – these are just a few of the topics Straub expertly weaves throughout her story. Since a large part of the book takes place in Spain, her American characters think and talk about these issues away from the comfort of their homes. They are removed from the convenience of checking technology every day, which really puts readers in that “vacationing” state of mind as well. Fanny, the Post matriarch, is an excellent cook, so family dinners really do bring people around the table to discuss these life-changing topics.

Straub’s writing style is witty and fun. Readers who are fans of her other books should read this one for sure. It has beautiful lessons about family, like what sibling conflict means to parents and what infidelity can and can’t do to a marriage. It’s too bad we can’t all vacation for two weeks somewhere with our own loved ones, eat great food, see beautiful sights, and solve deep-seated family problems, but this book makes for a great alternative.

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