The World of Expats

I have to admit that I don’t know a whole lot of people who live abroad. Most friends I have who live in Europe are there because that’s where they’re from. I don’t know a lot of people who have just up and moved to another country. I don’t know a lot of Expats.

That right there is what makes reading such a wonderful thing. It’s one thing to read about things we love or relate to, but it’s in the books that give us a look into a life and world we know nothing about that forces our imaginations to work overtime.

That’s what kept going through my mind as I read Chris Pavone’s The Expats.

The Expats follows Kate Moore, a former ClA operative turned housewife, who has moved with her husband and kids to Luxembourg where mystery and secrets take over her life. The espionage and mystery storyline are good enough, but it was in the setting of the book and the general idea of living abroad that got my mind thinking.

Halfway through the book I finally dove into the Internet looking up to see what life is like in Luxembourg. Pictures, home rentals, schools, etc. Not that we are in a situation to up and move to Luxembourg, but thanks to the Expats (and the Internet) I was able to imagine what it would be like to do it.

And again, isn’t that the point of reading? To give us a sneak peaks into lives and worldd we’d otherwise not know exist? Not that I didn’t know Luxembourg existed, but the whole world of Expats and moving to another country and sending my kids to school and building a life, is not something I’d really thought about.

Until Now. Where would I go? Luxembourg? Maybe, it’s gorgeous and I feel like the atmosphere would be easy for my quirky family to fit into. But at the same time Norway or New Zealand would be amazing too. I had a friend from Prague in my early years as a mom, and I was always in awe of her stories and (I interviewed her for a college project about schooling in other countries, giving me a lot of details about growing up in Prague) yes, I think I’d give it a go. Or perhaps Ireland. Home of my ancestors, my family’ motherland. Some sort of cosmic full circle thing. I don’t know… but it’s fun to think about.

So I ask you, if you could just drop everything and pick up your family and move abroad, where would you go?

This post was inspired by mystery thriller novel The Expats by Chris Pavone. Kate Moore happily sheds her old life to become a stay at home mom when her husband takes a job in Europe. As she attempts to reinvent herself, she ends up chasing her evasive husband’s secrets. Join From Left to Write on January 22 as we discuss The Expats As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

photo credit: Wolfgang Staudt via photopin cc

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