The Holiday (by Erica James)

(Amazon UK link)

In re-reading my books by Erica James, I reached the one which I knew was my least favourite of all. When I first read ‘The Holiday’, in 2001, I thought it shallow and predictable. When I re-read it in 2017 I liked it better, but I had entirely forgotten the storyline. So I decided to read it again.

It’s quite a long book - over 500 pages - but I found it very readable. The opening chapters introduce quite a cast of characters, but Erica James is good at characterisation, and they were - mostly - easily distinguishable. Max and Laura are a likeable couple in their forties, who own a holiday home in Corfu. They are there for the summer, and have invited their younger friend Izzy who has just suffered a painful breakup with her boyfriend. 

In Corfu, next door, lives Theo, a wealthy Corfiot businessman who has had a series of casual relationships. He tries to flirt with Laura, but she’s in love with her husband and treats Theo as a friend. However, she wonders if he and Izzy might like a holiday fling, to help her get over her ex. 

Theo has invited his friend Mark, who is a writer, to stay. Mark has quite an unpleasant past, including being an alcoholic and hard drug user, although he is now clean and intends to remain that way. Mark’s story is gradually uncovered through the book, partly through flashbacks as he recalls sessions with his therapist, and partly through discussion with those around him. He’s a very private person, prone to moods. 

The final two significant characters are Max and Laura’s daughter Francesca, who is about eighteen or nineteen, and her friend Sally, who are coming to stay. Sally, we quickly learn, is something of a nymphomaniac who even tried to attract Max, before knowing who he was. 

There are others: locals who help with cleaning, or run shops or bars, and a couple of rather brash holiday-makers who behave quite badly; they felt like caricatures to me, but that’s fine with minor characters. It’s easier to recall them if they are exaggerated, and the author cleverly uses nicknames for them as it would have been easy to forget their real names.

Mark not only has a very unpleasant past, and some unhappy memories from childhood, he’s currently being stalked by an apparent madman who is writing anonymous notes, following the pattern of one of Mark’s books. And Mark’s books are dark, crime thrillers. He hopes that by coming to Corfu for a while he will be safe. 

All of which sounds like quite an interesting background to several subplots. But, other than the last (which only really rears its head towards the end), and one involving a dramatic sea rescue just averting a tragedy, much of the book is quite trite. It takes place over just a few weeks, and there seems to be a huge amount of sexual activity, much of it quite casual, with a lot of discussion about past partners. There’s a lot of drinking, too.

There’s some sight-seeing, and it’s fairly clear from the descriptions that the author is familiar with Corfu. I live on another Mediterranean island, and the Greek cultural references feel authentic. I wasn’t particularly interested in details of walks or ancient monuments and tended to skip those, but they seemed to be well written.

I was disappointed when I first read this book, since the earlier books by Erica James had revolved around small village communities; this book has a broader scope, and feels sleazier. She doesn’t go into too much detail of intimate encounters, but even the more general comments seem exaggerated. And while I liked Max and Laura very much, I found Theo self-centred and rather annoying, and Mark a deeply disturbing person, even though he is a kind person underneath. 

It’s telling that even though I last read this less than seven years ago, I had no memory of the people or the storyline, including two dramatic, potentially tragic scenes that happen later in the book.  I could not recall what happened or who was involved in the stalking of Mark and was not expecting the ending at all. 

I think this book might make good holiday reading, but it’s not one of Erica James’ best and would not make a good introduction to her writing. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews