In “The Five-Star Weekend,” Elin Hilderbrand brings us what we have come to expect from her novels— an enjoyable beach read about lovely settings; women who seem to have it all; and, at the same time, an examination of weightier topics. For example, we present a curated version of ourselves to the world on social media while hiding our imperfections. We pretend we have perfect marriages, or lives, even if we do not. We take photographs carefully, hiding the unsightly elements and angling our bodies to look slimmer, instead of just allowing candid photos that show our enjoyment of life. We read about loss and love and second chances, and maybe after reading this novel, we will consider our own lives and what is most important to us.
Hollis Shaw seems to have it all. She’s married to an extremely successful surgeon, has a daughter who is pursuing her passion in film, and an Instagram following that definitely give her the title of influencer. Every post of Hollis’s is carefully curated as are the glimpses she allows into her seemingly perfect life.
What Hollis doesn’t show is the increasing distance in her marriage. In fact, the book begins when Hollis is saying goodbye to her husband as he embarks on a business trip, one which will result in his being unable to attend their annual holiday party. The one that they have every year. Hollis is furious, and as Matthew is walking out the door, he responds to her comment that they seem more like roommates by saying that they’ve changed. And the next thing Hollis hears is that he was killed in a one-car accident involving a deer and two fawns.
Seven months later, Hollis is still trying to deal with her sense of loss and her feeling of guilt that perhaps Matthew was distracted by her comments and that those comments, in part, led to the accident. Her daughter Caroline seems very distant, as if she would rather have lost Hollis than her father. One night, Hollis comes across an article about a recent widow who decided that to help with her grief, she would host what she called a five-star weekend. She invited four of her best friends from different times in her life (teens, twenties, thirties, etc.) and even though the women might not have known each other, each was important to those women in some way. Hollis loves the idea and starts to plan her own five-star weekend.
Since the death of Matthew, one of her social media followers has been reaching out, and they have been communicating. Hollis has found solace in texting with Gigi, and even though they’ve never met, she feels close to her. So when she’s choosing friends to include, she picks Gigi as her current best friend. Also invited is Tatum, whom she grew up with on Nantucket; Dru-Ann, her best friend from college; and last Brooke Kirtley, who was her rock when Matthew died.
What makes the narrative really work wonderfully is that way that Hilderbrand alternates the point of view so we really feel that we get to know all the women and Caroline. She manages to give us flashbacks throughout the novel that work seamlessly into the narrative. It’s really masterfully done.
What we find, and the women we meet, show us that everyone, no matter how seemingly perfect their life, has problems. And it’s the friend who has the most modest life, working cleaning houses, who perhaps shows us what is most important in life. There are twists throughout, and in addition to the important life messages, there is some humor. Most of us would chuckle when, during a discussion about orgasms, one woman comments, “Everyone fakes. It’s the reason men are so insecure. They can never be sure if it’s real or is we’re pulling a Meg Ryan.” And Caroline wonders, “Who is Meg Ryan?”
The writing, the metaphor, the dialogue, the combination of present and past, all highlight why Hilderbrand is such a successful author. Her books are well written stories that are meaningful and insightful, and with characters who have problems most women can relate to. Yet each one is unique, and even though they take place on Nantucket, the individual settings are beautifully described and each is different.
My verdict? This is a very enjoyable book to read at any time of year. Might you enjoy it a tad more lying on the beach and listening to the sound of the waves? Well, you will feel like you are part of the story, or at least like the women down the beach might be part of their own five-star weekend. Think about who’d you invite to yours.
Please note: This review is based on the final, hardcover book provided by Little, Brown and Company, the publisher, for review purposes.