Emma Straub Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Picture Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Emma Straub was born in New York City in 1980. She is an established American author known for her bestselling book The Vacationers, published in 2014. Emma writes both essays and short stories for various periodicals and magazines. Her debut novel was Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, published by Riverhead Books in 2012. Emma’s debut story collection, Other People We Married, was also released in February 2012 by Riverhead Books. She writes both fiction and non-fiction, with her greatest success seen in her fiction works. Her writings have appeared in several publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Tin House, Slate, The Paris Review Daily, The New York Times, and Cousin Corinne’s.

Straub was born to the renowned writer Peter Straub and was raised by both her parents in Manhattan. She attended high school in Brooklyn and later went to college in Ohio. Like her father, Emma studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is married with children and currently lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York. As a young girl, Emma grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Besides writing, she is a staff writer for Rookie Magazine, focusing on teenage articles. Emma is also a bookseller and operates a design studio.

The Vacationers
About the Book: The Vacationers is a fiction novel published in June 2014. It is an irresistible, deftly observed story about the joys, secrets, and jealousies that emerge when an average American family spends a two-week holiday in Mallorca.

The Plot: A family embarks on a two-week trip to Mallorca, joined by extended family and friends in celebration. Jim and Franny are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary, and their daughter Sylvia has recently graduated from high school. The family looks forward to enjoying the beautiful island, with its beaches and mountains, as a respite from their life in Manhattan. However, things do not go as planned. While on vacation, old and new issues and secrets begin to surface, humiliating the family as childhood rivalries resurface, reopening old wounds.

Emma Straub creates a fictional story that reveals the hidden aspects of family life, exploring secrets people often keep private. She successfully exposes internal family conflicts with humor and vigor, even amidst anger and change.

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures
About the Book: Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures was published in September 2012. The story follows a Midwestern woman who escapes family tragedy and becomes a Hollywood golden-age movie star. Although this book didn’t achieve the same level of fame as The Vacationers, it remains a notable work of fiction.

The Plot: Set in the 1920s, the story centers on Elsa Emerson, the youngest and blondest of three sisters, born in idyllic Door County, Wisconsin. Her family owns the Cherry County Playhouse, and Elsa is determined to prove herself, especially to her father. Tragedy strikes her family when she is young, and as a teenager, she marries and moves to Los Angeles. There, she is discovered by Irving Green, a powerful Hollywood executive, who rebrands her as Laura Lamont. Laura becomes one of the greatest stars of her time, balancing the extravagance and glamour of stardom with the challenges of family, career, and personal happiness.

Richly imagined and ambitious, Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures offers an intimate portrayal of Hollywood’s golden age. Written with verve and warmth, it confirms Emma Straub as one of the most creative and exciting talents in fiction writing.

Modern Lovers
About the Book: Modern Lovers is another fiction novel by Emma Straub, showcasing her maturity as a writer. It is a compelling story, rich with experience and patience.

The Plot: Elizabeth, Zoe, and Andrew are close friends who have grown up together. They were college bandmates and have supported each other through marriage, starting businesses, buying real estate, and building families. Now, as they approach fifty, they live in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, facing the challenges of aging while watching their children reach maturity and begin behaving like adults.

In this book, Emma Straub has successfully woven together insight, wisdom, and humor. She explores the dynamics of neighbors and their interactions, the ambitions and passions of youth and middle age, and the fact that human passions—whether for food, music, or anything else—never fade but evolve and grow alongside us.