The Vacation

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The Vacation by John Marrs is a difficult book to write about. It’s certainly an addictive read as I was desperate to see how it ended – or more accurately – how our characters all fared. This book is all about the characters and their lives. Some are extraordinary and some seemingly ordinary. All have secrets they’re keeping from others and some they’re keeping from themselves.

While The Vacation is not the best book I have read by this author, it is entertaining and enjoyable. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Pan Macmillan via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Vacation by John Marrs for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Matty & Declan - childhood friends from Irełand. Did they choose to leave Ireland and travel around the US?Building and supporting a community of self-published authors dedicated to both sharing experiences and learning as equals. Tommy - works in the hostel reception. He was traveling around the US with his friend before they went their separate ways. Although coping with his own troubles, he becomes someone people turn to. I found it a little disconcerting that some of the timeframe changes occurred mid chapter which I wasn’t used to experiencing. Similarly on a few occasions there was some head hopping. We were in the head of one character and then privy to another’s thoughts, though thankfully for the most part it’s clear. I normally get the kindle version of a book, along with the audiobook so that I can listen at work, and read at night. That was almost impossible to do with this book because the audiobook and the kindle book were different from one another, which was very frustrating. Given the fact that I was already invested, I ended up still trying to do both because I was curious about the differences, so I feel like I actually read this book twice. Feel free to invite some friends to join our Round Table community!http://www.goodreads.com/group/invite_members/26989-goodreads-authors-readers

The Author Resource Round Table on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_folder/116489?group_id=26989 Note: The Vacation was originally titled ‘Welcome to Wherever You Are’, this is the re-edited new release. What sets this book apart is the author's daring creativity. The plot, though intricate and occasionally challenging, showcases Marrs' readiness to explore uncharted territory in storytelling. It's a puzzle, a maze of twists and turns that will test your comprehension and intrigue you, pushing the boundaries of the literary experience. The point of the novel is that everyone is hiding something and a bit like Janus presenting one face to the world and hiding the real face. Most of them are running from something or hiding from someone or something or covering something up. The unlikely character of Peyk, who is a sort of handyman, turns out to be the only one who sees people and events as they really are and it turns out he's a bit of a philosopher albeit aided by weed! The novel ends on an optimist note for some of the characters. For instance, Tommy seems to be recovering from the traumas that happened to him, Declan is finding happiness with Nicole who appears to have a better future in front of her having bought and renovated the hostel. This huge cast of characters descend on Venice Beach International Hostel. Each with their own stories to tell. Ranging from fame, domestic abuse, death, crime, obsession and just a sprinkling of love.Building and supporting a community of self-published authors dedicated to both sharing experiences and le Officially 15k Members Strong & Climbing!! Everything is neatly tied up in the end, I suppose, but despite that, the story still seemed somehow unfinished to me. I will say, though, I was impressed by the way all the puzzle pieces eventually came together. It takes a skillful author to make all the connections work, without becoming cheesy and/or implausible. But... what was the deal with Peyk? Where did he go at the end? How did he know everything?

I would actually love to see this on the screen and I know that one of Marrs’s previous books The One was made into a Netflix series. In fact I can’t help but wonder if this book would fare better with episodic fast-paced visual treatment than it does in written form. The characters, although all running from their pasts for various reasons, are all very different and easily distinguishable. It really is no mean feat to be able to tie together this number of threads without it becoming confusing, but John Marrs succeeds admirably. I’ve been wanting to read a book by John Marrs for a while now and after finishing The Vacation I can tell you I’ll be reading many more! Over the course of short and sharp chapters, the reader is introduced to a whole host of characters based around a Venice Beach hostel. It takes a while to set the scene properly, there are so many characters with their own motivations and secrets which could be confusing in less skilful hands. However Marrs deftly weaves the narrative into the connections that begin to appear between these intriguing individuals with a practised and confident hand. As the book moves on, the suspense and action ramps up, full of twists and turns that keep the reader on their toes leading to an ending I felt worked perfectly for this story. The Vacation is a multilayered and exhilarating thriller that would make an excellent summer read! Marrs certainly knows how to tell a story and he does it with precision in this impressively chunky book, which surprisingly didn’t take long to read at all. I loved the fast paced short chapters and the diverse collection of characters.All that said, I loved the ending and Marrs does a superb job of typing up all the stories to a strong conclusion. The book has still stayed with me months later, so that says something! His books always seem to do that to me! There were some really good moments in the novel, for instance, the final scene between Zac and Ruth is an absolute doozy. Talk about ...'And its five, six, seven, Open up the purly gates...'!!! Sorry if you haven't read it - that will mean nothing! Overall, I don’t think this is John Marrs best book but it is a fun read and it keeps you absorbed. I like the Breaking Bad references! It’s a large cast of characters but at no time did I have any difficulty keeping them and their storylines apart. And of course, how they all eventually intersect. Brilliantly done!