A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France

Hoffman, a married father of two who is both a tax preparer and a freelance food writer, packs his family up and moves from Minnesota to Autignac, France—population 800—for six months. From the start, Hoffman tells of his struggles to find common ground with rural neighbors, his biggest fear being that, in their eyes, he’s only an American tourist abroad. His son, daughter, and wife find a clear path to developing community rather quickly, while his rudimentary advantages—basic French skills and a passion for cooking—often hold him back. Narrating these experiences with both humor and pathos, Hoffman comes to terms with his Midwestern upbringing, what he’d like his children to learn about life, and doing the work that his wife posits is the key to finding fulfillment in unfamiliar surroundings. Anecdotes about Paris life, winemaking, captive praying mantises, artsy teenage angst, and French cuisine lessons from village locals animate his memoir.