Book Review: My French Summer
My French Summer. T.D. Arkenberg, Booklocker, January 2025, e-book, hardcover or paperback, 332 pages.
Reviewed by Brian Foster.
Equal parts travel novel, queer romance, and coming of age story, My French Summer, by T.D. Arkenberg, is a delightful romp through first love in a closeted era.
Our protagonist is 19-year-old Alec Van Horne, the youngest son of a grotesquely wealthy family, and closeted homosexual, who reluctantly accompanies his parents to Paris for his mother’s fiftieth birthday, even though he’d rather be wooing his college’s hunky librarian. He changes his tune upon meeting Conor Walsh, fellow American and member of the proletariat, who has significantly more (which is to say, any) experience with romance.
Set in 1980, the book uses its French setting to explore the effect that moving from an environment that is inherently hostile to his true self (America) to somewhere more accepting (France) has on young Alec. He is in turn anxious and excited. Insecure, but aware of his insecurities. Watching him grow and mature as the story progresses is legitimately delightful. While many of the issues that arise once in France are either misunderstandings or of his own design, Alec never comes off as being deserving of scorn. His missteps are the result of youthful inexperience, and feel like part of the journey, rather than impediments to it.
Though there are many supporting characters who help Alec and Connor on their odyssey of first love, by far the most memorable side character is France itself. Arkenberg’s vision of Paris is so utterly enchanting, it makes you want to live there. During the portions of the novel spent with Alec’s family, we see Paris through the eyes of wealthy tourists, all bright lights, fine dining, and high fashion. As our protagonist tours the countryside around the city with his lover, however, we see a nation with a vast and complex history that nonetheless has embraced the social progress of the modern world. Ancient cemeteries coexist with gay bars and burger joints, and none of it feels contradictory. Instead, it feels like a natural blend that makes one of the world’s greatest cities greater still.
That is not to say that the book is without its flaws, or perfect for everyone. Though it never veers into being spicy for the sake of spice, this is a novel aimed at adults, who are comfortable with two gay men expressing their affection for each other. One or two scenes of said affection being expressed are included, but the story would be weaker for their absence.
Additionally, the final twenty or so pages feature a plot twist and tone change that make it difficult to recommend the book to people solely seeking a lighthearted tale about two beautiful people in love on a fun adventure in a beautiful country. That’s very much what the book is, right up until the very end, where the author brings us back to the reality of what so many gay people have endured, and continue to endure, all over the world. Though I personally consider this to be a feature rather than a bug, readers be aware, the book is too realistic for everyone to be happy forever.
Taken as a whole, My French Summer is a wonderful novel about moving from adolescence to adulthood, first love, and travel. It exemplifies the joys of living in a nation that lets LGBTQIA+ people be who they are and love who they love. Additionally, it is a poignant reminder that it’s never too late to seek happiness, and that we all must strive to make the country outside the closet a welcoming one. Grab a copy today and read about one such country yourself.
