Zoran B. reviewed The Expats by Chris Pavone
Review of 'The Expats' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Amusing to some extent, but infuriatingly naive. As a reader, I hate being taken for a ride by implausible plot and conclusion. This is neither how a secret service officers would behave, nor how a careful ordinary human being would.
Aside for Kate's extra long brooding which lasts the whole book: whether she should tell her secret life to her husband or not -- the ending, where a final face-off ends in Kate's change of heart which can, potentially, put lives of her and her family in grave danger -- that ending is hard to swallow. Without revealing the plot, I believe that no one in her right mind would go that far to protect her family, only to throw it all away.
If you like the intrigue and story where nothing is as it seems, you may enjoy the Expats. However, don't expect a satisfactory, or a logical ending. …
Amusing to some extent, but infuriatingly naive. As a reader, I hate being taken for a ride by implausible plot and conclusion. This is neither how a secret service officers would behave, nor how a careful ordinary human being would.
Aside for Kate's extra long brooding which lasts the whole book: whether she should tell her secret life to her husband or not -- the ending, where a final face-off ends in Kate's change of heart which can, potentially, put lives of her and her family in grave danger -- that ending is hard to swallow. Without revealing the plot, I believe that no one in her right mind would go that far to protect her family, only to throw it all away.
If you like the intrigue and story where nothing is as it seems, you may enjoy the Expats. However, don't expect a satisfactory, or a logical ending. And, if you are a fan of Le Carre, or other (better) spy-thriller writers, you will be disappointed and mildly outraged at this one.
