The Expat

OK, I admit it—I’m totally addicted to House Hunters International. There’s just something mesmerizing about watching people leave behind the comforts of home to chase new cultures and languages. These people,are known as expats. And once upon a time, I was one too.

Early in my marriage, when my husband was stationed in the military, we had the so fortune to spend three years living in Germany. It was scary and exciting—though mostly exciting. We were young, flexible, and ready for adventure. Every free weekend, we set out to see somewhere new, determined to see as much as we could. Meanwhile, some of our acquaintances rarely stepped off base, intimidated by the unfamiliar. I just couldn’t understand it. I mean, who chooses Burger King when there are so many culinary wonders just beyond the commissary complex?

So, out we went. If my husband had some time off, we’d look at each other and say, “Where should we go? ” Frankfurt was centrally located making it easy to drive to. France, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg. We even found a little bed and breakfast about 20 kilometers outside of Salzburg, a place we’d return to whenever we needed to decompress. Once the owner knew us, she treated us like royalty. It was heaven. Honestly, living in Europe one more time is still high on my bucket list.

So when I picked up The Expats by Chris Pavone, the premise felt instantly familiar. The novel follows the Moore family—seemingly average Washington, D.C. folks. Dexter, a computer security geek, is offered a lucrative job in Luxembourg, and off they go to embrace European living. His wife Kate also has a government job... except hers isn’t exactly ordinary, and let’s just say her past refuses to stay buried. The tension builds gradually, pulling you into a world that feels both global and intimate. And the expat setting adds an extra layer of intrigue for anyone who knows what it’s like to reinvent home on foreign soil.

This is Pavone’s second published work. (Fun fact for my fellow wine lovers: his first was The Wine Log: A Journal and Companion, a pretty little journal for tracking your favorite pours. I’ve just added it to my reading list.)

So now, I’m curious—have you ever had the chance to live abroad? If so, where did you land, and what did you carry home with you, besides a suitcase full of memories?