Trailing: A Memoir (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781470159795)

Life takes an unexpected turn for Kristin Louise Duncombe when she falls in love with a doctor from M馘ecins Sans Fronti鑽es and follows him to East Africa, where she must contend with violence, witchcraft, and the life-or-death stakes of the MSF world.

After a childhood traveling the world as the daughter of a U.S. diplomat, Kristin has plans to build a career as a psychotherapist and put down roots in the vibrant city of New Orleans. But it seems that history is destined to repeat itself when she meets Tano, a handsome Argentinian doctor, who sets her life on a new path as a "trailing" spouse, following the MSF doctor to foreign lands full of hardship and danger.

Despite the culture shock of living alongside the MSF team as they deal with life-or-death emergencies, Kristin makes a new life for herself in Nairobi only to have her world rocked by a violent carjacking. This act of terror catapults her into a state of acute post-traumatic stress, and her life devolves into one of intense anxiety that permeates every aspect of her existence.

As her marriage falls apart, Kristin realizes that in trailing after Tano as he pursues his life's work, she has lost herself along the way. Forced to examine questions about her relationship, career, and personal identity, she struggles to save her marriage while facing the most difficult fight of her life: reinventing who she was meant to be.

Duncombe's debut, as humorous as it is harrowing, provides an insider's view of an MSF marriage, the sacrifices made in the name of love, and the compromises that must be made when love isn't enough. Probing deeply into Kristin's tumultuous search for identity, she captures her experiences with extraordinary authenticity and honesty, ultimately discovering that trailing can lead to transformation.