Book Review: Trials & Truffles: Expats in Brussels

Trials & Truffles: Expats in Brussels. T.D. Arkenberg. Outskirts Press, Inc., June 24, 2020, Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and E-book, 376 pages.

Reviewed by Terrell Isselhard. 

T.D. Arkenberg’s Trials & Truffles, Expats in Brussels is a love story, but as the author so rightly observes at the opening of the book, “Loves stories are complex,” and this one is no exception.

Trials & Truffles details Arkenberg’s time living abroad in Brussels when his husband Jim’s long-held dream of working abroad in Europe comes true.

Arkenberg first deals with the challenges of making the relocation, such as safely transporting their beloved dog Sadie, finding renters for their house, and finding a place to live in Brussels. He does a wonderful job moving through the process and keeping the story enjoyable while also reflecting openly and honestly about the many feelings that surface as he prepares to leave his Chicagoland home. 

In Brussels, Arkenberg braves the emotional adjustment of being in a new city, which is made all the more difficult by Jim’s demanding new job. He describes his lonely excursions out into the city, and the cool, Belgian response he received. “My polite nods to strangers went unreturned; hellos and bonjours went unanswered. Passersby who didn’t avert their gazes glared. Sneers rebuffed my smiles.”

Eventually, though, Arkenberg finds a writers group in Brussels, even if he has to stomach a few science fiction stories. A kindly neighbor, Barbara, and an audacious cat, Puhi, help Arkenberg and Jim transform Brussels into a familiar city where they feel at home. Of course, not everything in Brussels turns rose-colored. Jim’s Belgian boss creates a great deal of stress that boils over into their home, and a terrorist threat puts the city on lockdown. Arkenberg is able to write through the progression of these events in a way that’s both accessible and intriguing. The drama at Jim’s job probably would not pique our interest out of context, but as we settle into the Belgian home with Arkenberg and his husband, the work trouble becomes our trouble. His openness about these stresses brings the story to life, as does his genuine enjoyment of travel and meeting new people. Seeing the trip through his eyes makes even the mundane seem interesting.

Another strength of the book is Arkenberg’s approach to capturing Brussels. It’s easy in travel memoirs to get caught in sightseeing mode and write pages of descriptions, but this book is a love story, albeit a complicated one. Love is the thread that ties the various scenes and reflections together: his love for Jim, their love for their dog Sadie, and the love that develops for their adopted home Brussels. This book is about the challenges and enduring strength that love provides; Brussels is just the backdrop. It might have been nice to get a bit more detail about Brussels itself in the book. While it’s a blessing, the book doesn’t read like a slide show of Arkenberg’s trip. A bit more detail about the history of the places he was traveling through and how that might loom over the current events he chronicles in his book would have been interesting. It’s a minor gap, and there’s not a total absence of such insights either. Arkenberg’s descriptions are careful, precise, and guided by a sensitive author keen on capturing the love story he set out to share.

I recommend this book for fans of travel writing, relationship-driven literary non-fiction, and of course, romantics everywhere. Trials & Truffles, Expats in Brussels might be a complicated love story, but evaluating the book is a straightforward affair—it’s a clear success.