Beach Trip
by Cathy Holton
I can’t recommend Beach Trip enough! My best friend and I have a yearly book club as the summer draws to a close, and this past September, Beach Trip whisked us away on an unforgettable holiday. We talked for hours and hours about the characters, what we imagined would happen in the plot, and later, what we thought of what actually happened. This was my favorite of all our book club books. In my opinion, it holds its own against the queen of beach reads, Elin Hilderbrand.
Four former collegemates have kept in touch the past twenty years since graduation, but their relationships are very strained. Occasionally they go on vacations together, but two of the girls, Sara and Mel, have a great deal of animosity towards one another. Sara is a wife and mother, saddled with typical middle-age regret, a longing to resume her career, and a fear that her marriage is growing stale. Mel is the opposite: she’s dramatic to a fault, self-centered, and has chosen a career as a mediocre mystery novelist in New York over family life. All the girls believe Annie has the perfect marriage, and they feel they have the right to tease her about her husband, her tidiness, and her responsibility; but they don’t know what plagues her heart. And finally, there’s Lola, who plans the titular beach trip and insists everyone get together again. Lola is a space cadet who’s been numbing herself with alcohol and prescription drugs to distract herself from her cruel and controlling husband. She’s still very childlike, and the other girls often feel the need to take care of her.
The four friends were written so realistically, I felt as though I’d become a fifth member of their inner circle. I missed them when the book was over, and in fact, I went back to re-read my favorite sections. Since they’re all so lifelike, the dynamic between them is also. You see it in many different friendship groups; the pecking order of youth has made its impression and never leaves. If Annie existed in real life, of course those around her would choose her as an easy target; she would allow it because it feels comfortable. Mel would be allowed to be dramatic and volatile. Those who wouldn’t tolerate such behavior wouldn’t have forged a friendship in the first place.
I really like the way Cathy Holton writes, letting the slow Southern lifestyle unfold without feeling rushed. There’s a constant simmering throughout the pages, so much that I even found myself thinking something dreadful was about to occur during a mere tennis match! Sections go back and forth between their time in college and their present vacation twenty years later. Normally, I don’t prefer that style, but it worked wonderfully in this novel. There are mysteries from the past and resentments only alluded to in the present, so the back-and-forth style really keeps the readers hooked in on all the drama. My favorite character was Annie, my friend picked Lola, and when my mom finally read it, she preferred Mel. This is such an interesting book to read and discuss, so make sure you get a copy for yourself and all your friends this summer.
Four former collegemates have kept in touch the past twenty years since graduation, but their relationships are very strained. Occasionally they go on vacations together, but two of the girls, Sara and Mel, have a great deal of animosity towards one another. Sara is a wife and mother, saddled with typical middle-age regret, a longing to resume her career, and a fear that her marriage is growing stale. Mel is the opposite: she’s dramatic to a fault, self-centered, and has chosen a career as a mediocre mystery novelist in New York over family life. All the girls believe Annie has the perfect marriage, and they feel they have the right to tease her about her husband, her tidiness, and her responsibility; but they don’t know what plagues her heart. And finally, there’s Lola, who plans the titular beach trip and insists everyone get together again. Lola is a space cadet who’s been numbing herself with alcohol and prescription drugs to distract herself from her cruel and controlling husband. She’s still very childlike, and the other girls often feel the need to take care of her.
The four friends were written so realistically, I felt as though I’d become a fifth member of their inner circle. I missed them when the book was over, and in fact, I went back to re-read my favorite sections. Since they’re all so lifelike, the dynamic between them is also. You see it in many different friendship groups; the pecking order of youth has made its impression and never leaves. If Annie existed in real life, of course those around her would choose her as an easy target; she would allow it because it feels comfortable. Mel would be allowed to be dramatic and volatile. Those who wouldn’t tolerate such behavior wouldn’t have forged a friendship in the first place.
I really like the way Cathy Holton writes, letting the slow Southern lifestyle unfold without feeling rushed. There’s a constant simmering throughout the pages, so much that I even found myself thinking something dreadful was about to occur during a mere tennis match! Sections go back and forth between their time in college and their present vacation twenty years later. Normally, I don’t prefer that style, but it worked wonderfully in this novel. There are mysteries from the past and resentments only alluded to in the present, so the back-and-forth style really keeps the readers hooked in on all the drama. My favorite character was Annie, my friend picked Lola, and when my mom finally read it, she preferred Mel. This is such an interesting book to read and discuss, so make sure you get a copy for yourself and all your friends this summer.