Sarah Turnbull's latest memoir, Way Back When the Merde Hit the Fan, offers a riotous and heartfelt account of her first year living in Paris. The book, published by Allen & Unwin, chronicles the Australian author's journey from wide-eyed newcomer to seasoned expat, navigating the quirks of French bureaucracy, romance, and cuisine.
A Year of Cultural Clashes
Turnbull, best known for her earlier bestseller Almost French, returns to the theme of cross-cultural adaptation. This time, she focuses on the initial twelve months after moving to Paris in the 1990s. The memoir opens with her arrival, armed with little more than a suitcase and a romanticized vision of the City of Light. Reality quickly sets in as she grapples with a language barrier, a labyrinthine rental market, and the infamous French attitude towards customer service.
One standout anecdote involves her attempt to open a bank account, which spirals into a bureaucratic nightmare requiring multiple visits, a letter of recommendation, and a handwritten note from her landlord. Turnbull writes, "I spent more time in that bank than I did in my first three months of French class."
Love and Laughter in the City of Light
Amid the frustrations, Turnbull finds love with a Parisian man named Frédéric. Their relationship provides both comic relief and emotional depth. In a particularly memorable scene, she attempts to cook a traditional Australian barbecue for his family, only to set off the smoke alarm and nearly flood the apartment. "Frédéric's mother looked at me as if I had just insulted her ancestors," Turnbull recalls.
The memoir also delves into the challenges of finding work as a foreigner. Turnbull takes on a series of odd jobs, from teaching English to corporate executives to working as a nanny for a family whose children speak only in slang. These experiences, she says, taught her resilience and a new appreciation for the absurd.
Statistics and Cultural Insights
According to a 2023 survey by the French Institute of Public Opinion, 62% of expats in France report experiencing significant culture shock in their first year. Turnbull's memoir aligns with these findings, but she emphasizes the rewards of persistence. "By the end of that year, I could order a croissant without being laughed at. That felt like winning the Olympics," she jokes.
The book has garnered praise for its honest portrayal of expat life. Reviewer Marie Claire France called it "a love letter to Paris that doesn't shy away from the warts."
A Universal Tale of Adaptation
While rooted in a specific time and place, Turnbull's story resonates with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. Her ability to find humor in humiliation makes the memoir a lighthearted yet meaningful read. As she writes in the conclusion, "Paris didn't change me. It just showed me who I really was: a slightly more confused, but infinitely happier, version of myself."
