Kristin Louise Duncombe

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. Convinced by her charming Argentinian husband, Kristin follows him to Nairobi, Kenya, where he works as a humanitarian doctor. There\’s no lack of career fulfillment for him, but Kristin struggles with acclimating, job issues, and reconstructing her goals.

Expats together, their adventure begins with love and passion; however, as in many marriages, disagreements escalate and multiply. 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. 

She perseveres by finding friendships and work related to her education and prior occupation as a psychotherapist. Bits of joy and purpose uplift her, though, with Tano\’s travels, there are always feel-better solutions and temptations.

\”Marijuana [is] powerful, plentiful and cheap,\” Kristin Louise Duncombe says in, Trailing: a memoir.

Flirtatious women and men trickle into Kristin\’s and Tano\’s routines. Each faces a consequential choice. Trailing spouses often experience loneliness due to isolation from family and familiar friends. Seeking stimulation or sedation is common. 

The trail continues to Kampala, Uganda, transporting three with the addition of their baby girl. Kristin eventually finds purposeful work but is sometimes uncomfortable due to the Ebola outbreak and other scary situations lurking in the background. And her housekeeper, who \”came with the house,\” practices witchcraft. Before Kristin\’s anxiety peaks, they luck out with Tano\’s new job in Paris, France. Kristin Louise Duncombe – trailing spouse – moves again.

Paris is the sweet spot for Kristin. 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. Her work as a counselor is going well and her bilingual kids are happy – until Tano\’s transfer to Lyon, France, dictates another move. It is not a smooth transition.

From 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. In Lyon, they survive the stress of moving furniture and appliances to the fifth floor and begin again. While Tano maintains his routine as a doctor, Kristin is plagued by indecisiveness concerning her career as a therapist. Hardship also defines mom-duties and her need for friends. Her thoughts turn to the women she sees as they wait for their children to exit the school building:

\”…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. None of them seem my natural soul mate, but the absence of close friends is the glaring lacuna of my new life in Lyon…\”

Eventually, the three glamorous school moms befriend Kristin. In Five Flights Up, their conversations are especially absorbing and understandable to readers as Kristin\’s insecurities manifest.

Learning the ropes in Lyon presents colorful storytelling from Kristin Louise Duncombe in Five Flights Up. The same can be said for Trailing: a memoir. Regardless of which book you choose to read first, you\’ll want to read the other. Though the themes of both books are about life as a trailing spouse, the stories are broadly relatable concerning marriage, career, mental health, and children. Kristin\’s writing emanates through her vulnerability, strength, and self-deprecating humor and is a pleasure to read.

The daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service officer, Kristin Louise Duncombe spent her youth in the United States, Cote d\’Ivoire, Egypt, India, and Indonesia, earning her the \”diplomatic brat\” identification. Because of her familiarity with living abroad, she did not fear marrying a man who worked internationally; however, as an adult, myriad differences emerged. 

Currently, Kristin Louise Duncombe lives in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a psychotherapist who specializes in working with international and expatriate families. Explore her press and articles on her website. She welcomes you to contact her.

Kristin! Just when we thought your postcard from Switzerland was lost in a snail-mail abyss, it shows up, but not before your second postcard began its journey. I’m happy to have both! And I appreciate your diligence in finding a place that sells them.

I googled the Château De Chillon and the Jet d’Eau fountain to learn more about these Lake Geneva places to see. Who knows? I may get there some day.
Thank you 🙂 

~Anita~