Holidays that go wrong are a growing theme in fiction, with authors exploring how breaks from routine can lead to unexpected problems, according to a Guardian UK article. This 'disaster holiday' subgenre often depicts characters encountering difficulties such as family disputes, failing marriages, or even murder while away from home.
Among the recent examples are Claire Powell’s novel 'All In', which features a struggling couple on an all-inclusive Spanish weekend, and Chloë Ashby’s 'Family Friends', where a group's long-standing holiday tradition in the south of France is threatened by marital issues. Sabine Durrant’s thriller 'Dead Heat' transforms a Greek adventure into a murderous event, highlighting how existing tensions can be amplified by a change of scene.
Other works, such as Deborah Levy’s 'Hot Milk' and Jo Hamya’s 'The Hypocrite', explore family unraveling and past failures during holidays. The article notes that unfamiliar settings can make characters more vulnerable to danger, with examples ranging from identity theft in Patricia Highsmith’s 'The Talented Mr Ripley' to murderous encounters in Sean Gilbert’s 'I’ll Be the Monster'.
While some fictional holidays lead to painful self-awareness, others, like in EM Forster’s 'A Room With a View' or David Nicholls’ 'You Are Here', can bring unexpected insights and even love. The article suggests that even unpleasant travel experiences can be revelatory, transforming individuals once they are safely behind them.