The Vacationers by Emma Straub - A 30-minute Instaread Summary

The Vacationers by Emma Straub - A 30-minute Instaread Summary.

Inside this Instaread Summary:

Overview of the entire book
Introduction to the characters in the book
Summary and analysis of all the chapters in the book
A Reader's Perspective



Preview of the earlier chapters:


Chapter 1

Jim, his wife, Franny, and his daughter, Sylvia, are all packing their bags to go on vacation in Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands in Spain. Jim has recently retired and is unsure what to do with his free time.

Sylvia is happy to be leaving Manhattan. She will be attending Brown University next year.

Jim likes to run or walk every day, so today he walks around Terminal 7. Jim also has a son, Bobby, who lives in Florida. Bobby has a girlfriend named Carmen. Bobby, Carmen, and Franny's friend, Charles and his husband, Lawrence, will meet them in Mallorca. The Posts rented a house outside of Palma from a woman named Gemma.

On the plane ride, Franny and Jim sit in business class on the plane while Sylvia sits in coach because Franny does not believe children or teenagers should sit in business class. During the flight, Jim walks back to Sylvia. Sylvia covers up the notebook she is writing in.

In the notebook, Sylvia has written a list of things she wants to do before she goes to college. Last on the list is losing her virginity.

Chapter 2

On the plane, there is a biker gang that makes a lot noise by shouting obscenities at each other. Jim shows interest in them and interest in buying a motorcycle, but Franny finds them annoying.

They land in Palma. Franny reflects on how she considers it a major accomplishment that her two children like each other, even though there is a ten year age difference between them.

The Posts go into the rented house and explore all of the rooms. Jim reflects on the loss of his job and how Franny has been tense and angry lately. Franny is good at being friendly in public, but always finds fault in Jim.

Jim and Sylvia fall asleep in their own beds. Franny goes to the local market to buy food for dinner. Franny thinks about Jim’s retirement and becomes angry when she admits to herself that he did not stop working for the same reasons most men do. Franny has a compulsive eating problem. She does not see it as a problem, however, as compared to those who take illegal drugs.

Sylvia wakes up and takes a shower...