The Clasp, by Sloane Crosley

I'd call this book "literary chick lit." It was a fun vacation read, but probably not something I would have read otherwise. Drawing from and built around Guy de Maupassant's tragic short story, "The Necklace," The Clasp follows three friends from college and their incredibly awkward not-quite-love triangle. Themes of alienation from one's society as well as the people one was closest to at a particular time in life will resonate with most young-ish people, and Crosley does have a wicked sense of humor to go along with it. Though it features two male main characters to one female, I doubt many men would enjoy reading it, with its references to pop culture and central story line around jewelry. My only major complaint is that the eponymous clasp, as well as the real plot of the story, don't actually start up until about 150 pages in. So while it's fun and funny up until that point, it also leaves one wondering exactly when the action's going to start, and then it's a bit surprising when it finally does. But overall this was a fun read, good vacation fare for sure.