Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Expats--A Novel

My book list varies from books I'd be embarrassed to share, to those I want everyone I know to go out and read right then so we can talk about them.

Sometimes the urgent reads aren't the best ones and I just want to hear if someone else feels the same as I do; The Marriage Plot currently sits at the top of that list.

And then there are the books that scratch an itch, that come just at the right time and that make the life you're living more fun and enjoyable because you can shake your head and go, 'oh, yeah. I get that.'
For me, The Expats--A Novel by Chris Pavone is that kind of book.

{put it in your beach bag}

It's fun and risky and sometimes sexy but the 'oh, yeah' moments come from the insights into expat life. If you've ever lived abroad you'll see yourself and wish you were as exciting and complicated as the heroine.

Every one of you who lives somewhere other than your home country will feel it too.

The freeing feeling of reinvention, the loneliness that no one back home can understand, the foot in two places tugging and the fast friendships and immediate recognition of yes we connect or no, no we don't at all, are all perfectly expressed. I read it on my way to Venice with the Besties last month and kept nodding my head in agreement. I probably looked like a fool sitting in CDG 2F but hey, what do I care? I'm a misfit--alien and removed by degrees at all times.

Chris writes as woman, something that can rankle if done wrong. You can feel it sometimes but his real-life days at the school gates in Luxembourg taught him a lot about how we women sometimes feel being the non-working spouse in a foreign country. There's only so much satisfaction you can derive from coffee mornings and cleaning toilets and he totally gets that.

The plot is quick, jumping back and forth, unfolding the story as you go but never losing you on the trip. It's fun, smart and engrossing. And right up your chemin if you find yourself living a life as an expat.

Put it on your summer beach reading list and then tell me what you thought.

If you read Jeffrey Eugenides' latest, please tell me how it left you feeling. I just have to know.

And if you'd like to see my reading list or offer any suggestions, I'm on GoodReads

19 comments:

  1. Thanks I will order this book straight away! I am thinking of becoming an expat again so it will be interesting to read. I did it in my 20s and am now thinking of doing it again but this time (a bit) older with kids so I imagine it will bring up a whole new set of issues!
    I'll also recommend it to a friend who has just moved from the UK to the Cayman Islands - she's still settling in so it might be good for her.
    Monica x

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    1. it's a super fun, easy read. i hope you enjoy it.
      aidan xo

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  2. Bonjour Aidan. This sounds good. Downloading into my Nook this morning. Will make for excellent summer reading while we are cruising Northwest waters this summer. Merci pour la recommandation! Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

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    1. Veronique,
      It won't change your life but it's a lot of fun.
      Perfect for cruising this summer, for sure.
      aidan xo

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  3. I've hesitated down-loading Marriage Plot onto my Kindle. I wasn't convinced by the description on Amazon, and now, I'm hesitating even more...

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    1. Meredith,
      I want to tell you to go ahead and read Marriage Plot just so we can talk about it! It was certainly no Middlesex.
      If you do let me know.
      aidan xo

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  4. I am looking for a good read having just finished the excellent Lunch in Paris - thanks for the recommendation.
    http://missbbobochic.blogspot.com/

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    1. Was that by Corinne Gantz? I read Hidden in Paris by her. If it's different who wrote Lunch in Paris and did you like it?
      aidan xo

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  5. I just finished reading this. I definitely liked the observations of expat life but thought the plot line of the CIA part was totally boring and flat. But, I agree it's a decent beach read :)

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    1. Sarah,
      Def a beach read. I felt kinda the same way about the 'thriller' aspect but I'm a bit of a scaredy cat so that's ok by me!
      aidan xo

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  6. Sounds like a must read for me. :) I really need something lighter. I am slogging my way through "Freedom" and it is taking me for-ev-ah.

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  7. What a coincidence. I just noticed this book in a magazine I was perusing at lunch today (Family Circle maybe). It caught my eye of course. I'll have to put in on the list.

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    1. Things are funny like that aren't they? That always happens to me! Let me know what you think if you do read it.
      aidan xo

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  8. Hey Aidan! So I read The Marriage Plot (for a book group that I still have never been to) a few months ago. I didn't love it. In fact I don't even remember what happened at the end. I was able to finish it and there were parts when I kept thinking, "OK, it's finally getting good," but then it would halt. I get frustrated when women are stupid in books... And you're right, it was no Middlesex.. I loved that book.

    And I just read The Expat a few weeks ago in about two days! It is the perfect vacation/beach book! Kate seemed like such a cool woman and I agree there are a lot of things that I completely related to. I would recommend that book to anyone that just wants a fun, entertaining read.

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  9. Kristen,
    I felt the same way about TMP. I enjoyed the male character (already forgot his name!) and his time in Europe soul searching but I just felt like the rest was so boring and singular that I really didn't care about what happened to the female lead at all. I much prefer it when I actually care about the outcome!
    Sounds like we have similar taste in books...what are you reading now?
    aidan xo

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    1. I just finished Jane Maas' "Mad Women." It was entertaining but her comparisons to the Mad Men show were forced - I felt it would have been a better book without the Peggy/Joan references (although I really like the show). Next up, I'm trying to finish Zelda Fitzgerald's Save Me The Waltz. I find when I read modern books, it takes me awhile to get into the early 20th century rhythm. Clearly you can see that I'm not picking up Shakespeare too often. x

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  10. I totally have this one on my must read list but I am waiting for a summer's day to go and sit at the beach before starting it. I love to read at the beach! I am so excited for a day at the beach and a good book!
    Ashley (backyardprovence)

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  11. After we go all Thelma & Louise, they'll write a book about us x

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  12. I just read this too - it was on Amazon's free kindle book list a few weeks ago. I liked it okay enough, but found it a little far-fetched at times. It would make a great beach book like you said though!

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It makes my day to read your comments. They're an answer to my floating words in blogland.