A while
ago I went to a writer's meeting at the Sterling Bookshop in Brussels. It was a
fabulous evening. Chris Pavone presented his new book 'Expats' which has got
stunning reviews. He lived as an expat in Luxembourg. Accompanying his
wife who was to work a couple of years in Luxembourg he had to get use to being
at home, taking care of the kids and all the things that makes the normal life
go on. With a background in editing it seemed like a good idea to take this
opportunity to write a book. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet the author
and to put a lot of questions to him about his writing. The book being so
popular so this might be the last time that you had the opportunity to meet him
in such a private environment. 'Expats' is about expats but maybe not in the
sense that we think about it. The book is set in Luxembourg (if you know it you
will recognise you) as well as in other European countries and cities. In the
centre of the story are two couples who become friends (or do they?). As the
author said: 'This is a book about people with secrets'.
The story
is set from Kate's view-point. She is married to Dexter and have two children.
They meet another American couple Julie and Bill. Kate with a background in the
CIA soon becomes suspicious of the others and since old habits are difficult to
get rid of, starts investigating them, which leads her to...her husband! The
story evolves between Kate's normal, married life with children, schools,
shopping etc and the more exciting life of an ex-CIA spy. Both sides of her life
are told in a way that makes them both seem quite possible.
It is a
thriller with many layers It starts with a 'bang' and you are into the
book. But, then it goes a little bit slow. There are a lot of descriptions of
expat life in Luxembourg and other places and it gets sometimes a little bit
too much. Maybe more when you are an European expat yourself. However, from an
American point of view it might be more exciting. The author switches between
the present, the story as it was some months ago and glimpses back to the old
life. Slowly, slowly you get the background to the present. From the middle of
the book the story evolves a little bit faster which I think improves the book.
It is a different angle and it is not until the end that the whole story is
revealed in its many aspects. It is well worth a read. It is one of the few
books where the story is fantastic but you can still believe that it actually
could happen.
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