“…I sit on the steps of Célestins, quietly measuring my feminine existence against those of the James Bond girls and in particular the Charlie’s Angels, with the fascination of a voyeur. Her thoughts turn to the women she sees as they wait for their children to exit the school building: Hardship also defines mom-duties and her need for friends. While Tano maintains his routine as a doctor, Kristin is plagued by indecisiveness concerning her career as a therapist. In Lyon, they survive the stress of moving furniture and appliances to the fifth floor and begin anew.

It is not a smooth transition.įrom the front entrance to Kristin and her family’s 5th-floor apartment, there are 98 steps! Kristin had cajoled Tano to sign the lease for their new home. Her work as a counselor is going well and her bilingual kids are happy – until Tano’s transfer to Lyon, France, dictates another move. Life is cozy in their 635 square feet apartment on a charming section of rue Oberkampf (now with second child – a son) amid food, shopping, and activity. Kristin Louise Duncombe – trailing spouse – moves again. Before Kristin’s anxiety peaks, they luck out with Tano’s new job in Paris, France. And her housekeeper, who “came with the house,” practices witchcraft. Kristin eventually finds purposeful work but is sometimes uncomfortable due to the Ebola outbreak and other scary situations lurking in the background. The trail continues to Kampala, Uganda, transporting three with the addition of their baby girl. Seeking stimulation or sedation is common. Trailing spouses often experience loneliness due to isolation from family and familiar friends. “Marijuana powerful, plentiful and cheap,” Kristin Louise Duncombe says in, Trailing: a memoir.įlirtatious women and men trickle into Kristin’s and Tano’s routines. Bits of joy and purpose uplift her, though, with Tano’s travels, there are always feel-better solutions and temptations. She perseveres by finding friendships and work related to her education and prior occupation as a psychotherapist. Housing, safety, the obligatory aperos (before-dinner drinks) with her husband Tano and his co-workers, where Kristin has to endure shop talk – all of it increases her anxiety. There’s no lack of career fulfillment for him, but Kristin struggles with acclimating, job issues, and reconstructing her goals.Įxpats together, their adventure begins with love and passion however, as in many marriages, disagreements escalate and multiply. Convinced by her charming Argentinian husband, Kristin follows him to Nairobi, Kenya, where he works as a humanitarian doctor.

Trailing spouse Kristin Louise Duncombe takes her readers on a riveting ride in her memoir Five Fights Up and in her debut book, Trailing: a memoir.

Black postcards a memoir