by Laird Hunt
First published 2001
American expatriates wander through Paris streets, searching for connection in a city that promises transformation but delivers complications. Hunt follows these displaced souls as they stumble through relationships, jobs, and the daily mysteries of living in a foreign place. A woman loses herself in the rhythm of café life. A man discovers that speaking French changes more than his accent. Another character finds that distance from home makes everything both clearer and more confusing. These Americans carry their hopes and disappointments from bistro to apartment to park bench, learning that geography cannot cure loneliness but might teach new ways to bear it. The city becomes both refuge and mirror, reflecting back their desires while remaining beautifully indifferent to their struggles.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Paris
Period: 21st-century
115 pages · Paperback · Smokeproof Press