When in French: Love in a Second Language

Originally Published January 1, 2020

Happy New Year!! It's been 7 years, to the day, that I started this blog, writing about how my teenage eyes saw the world. Ever since then, as (maybe) you know, I pop on here when I have the time, give you an update about my travels, books, thoughts, writing, etc. I'm off traveling now, which has afforded me some time to think and read, and procrastinate writing my capstone. Specifically, I'm in Vietnam, spending 3 weeks in assorted towns, where the language and culture are so new and different from what I know or understand. Reading Lauren Collins' When In French: Love in a Second Language while traveling has pushed me to think more about how detached communication as a foreigner can be--we all know that tourism is a complicated ethical area, and I've been thinking about that as well as the idea of an "authentic" experience...I'll develop my thoughts and let you know.

I also wanted to write a quick thank you for reading my little thoughts when I decide to send them out into the world: I started this so that I could publish writing, as a practice, like yoga or meditation. Although I don't do it much, it really means something that I have friends willing to read.

When In French: Love in a Second Language by Lauren Collins was recommended to me after I got back from my study abroad experience in Paris. It's a heartfelt, truthful memoir about Ms. Collins' struggle to immerse herself in French/European culture after she moves to Geneva with her husband. It's also a meditation on the usefulness/uselessness of language. Ms. Collins grew up in North Carolina, and as she learns how to "live in French", she reminisces about understanding across cultures, and the innate misunderstandings that litter the pathway to bilingualism. She writes about her husband, saying that even as they fell for each other and "despite the absence of any technical barrier to comprehension, we often had, in some weirdly, basic sense, a hard time understanding each other". She writes about how speaking to her husband was like "a feat of interpretation". As Collins learns the French language, she tells the reader how she understands it: she expresses her frustration, fear, and success. Collins also deftly explains what it is like to slowly immerse oneself into the lake that is biculturalism/bilingualism, naming each chapter with a verb tense in French, and using that tense to further her narrative.

Starting this book was slow, and I was frustrated (probably because I had expected to read a silly love story before I cracked the spine). As soon as I was able to get into the rhythm of Collins' prose I was smiling and laughing with recognition, this book is a lyrical memoir that goes deeper than just an exploration of one life: it explores language as a concept, culture, and challenge. Collins gives birth to her first baby, in a French hospital. When she returns back home, she suddenly finds herself at a loss for words in English: many of the words she wants to use to describe her baby are French and don't truly translate. The story has a nice pace, with prose that meditates without wandering, and I finished it with a satisfied smile, proud of what Collins had achieved, and warmed by her ruminations on my two cultures.

Overall Collins creates a well-organized, warm memoir that moves past expectation, and pushes the reader to consider the way language functions, and consider how culture both aids and abets understanding. I would recommend it, especially to French/English speakers, and ex-pats/former ex-pats. I truly wish that I had read it before/during my abroad experience: the wisdom that Collins imparts in her book made me laugh more than it made me think because it was reminding me of my experience in France rather than supporting/prefacing it.

I'm going to give it 3.5 stars: the story is well written and well-paced, but it didn't punch me in the face, and I think much of my interest in it lies in my ability to laugh/reminisce at French/English immersion.

Book Talk TL;DR:
Give it a try if: You're a francophile, American in France, or American going abroad
Maybe skip it if: You didn't study a second language/don't love travel, talking about linguistics/words isn't your thing.
Here's the NY Times review: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/books/review/when-in-french-lauren-collins.html


Chat soon! I've got a little story in the works, and maybe some of my capstone???