Separation Anxiety

A Novel

By: Laura Zigman

Narrated by: Courtney Patterson

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

"Separation Anxiety is a hilarious, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking portrait of a difficult marriage, as fierce as it is funny.... My advice: start reading and don’t stop until you get to the last page of this wise and wonderful novel." (Alice Hoffman)

From best-selling author Laura Zigman, a hilarious novel about a wife and mother whose life is unraveling and the well-intentioned but increasingly disastrous steps she takes to course-correct her relationships, her career, and her belief in herself.

Judy never intended to start wearing the dog. But when she stumbled across her son Teddy’s old baby sling during a halfhearted basement cleaning, something in her snapped. So: The dog went into the sling, Judy felt connected to another living being, and she’s repeated the process every day since.

Life hasn’t gone according to Judy’s plan. Her career as a children’s book author offered a glimpse of success before taking an embarrassing nose dive. Teddy, now a teenager, treats her with some combination of mortification and indifference. Her best friend is dying. And her husband, Gary, has become a pot-addled professional "snackologist" who she can’t afford to divorce. On top of it all, she has a painfully ironic job writing articles for a self-help website - a poor fit for someone seemingly incapable of helping herself.

Wickedly funny and surprisingly tender, Separation Anxiety offers a frank portrait of middle-aged limbo, examining the ebb and flow of life’s most important relationships. Tapping into the insecurities and anxieties that most of us keep under wraps, and with a voice that is at once gleefully irreverent and genuinely touching, Laura Zigman has crafted a new classic for anyone taking fumbling steps toward happiness.

©2020 Laura Zigman (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Both hilarious and poignant

A wonderful read. A tale of a mother and wife "sheltering in place" with her husband--because they can't afford to separate, 11 year old son, and Charlotte--the dog she carries with her everywhere in a baby sling. Both funny and moving--it will resonate with anyone who has ever been a mother or a wife struggling to make ends meet, raise a happy child ( in an excessively politically correct world), or find a career--and a person--to love with passion and commitment. Zigman is a wonderful writer. And there's a laugh out loud opportunity on almost every page.

A fun, quick, engaging story

Very well read. A fun, and enjoyable story. I appreciate the fact that it wasn't very long.

Surprising!

An odd premise for a story - I was completely engaged. The narrator is perfect for this piece. At times it’s laugh out loud funny and introspective other times. It’s good all the way to the last sentence!

Well written and satisfying. Perfect for a road trip or working around the house.

Just the story I needed when I needed to hear it..

If you love dogs, if you shop at Trader Joe's, if you've loved, if you've lost, if you've ever had one of those days...or a string of those days, if you've tried in vain, if you've ever felt invisible, or felt like you have a bird on your head...Judy's story may be for you too.

Laura Zigman has done it again!

Just finished listening to Separation Anxiety. Zigman has done it again, and it was well worth the wait! Clever and witty, I’m sure going to miss her characters. I will forever hold precious the moments that I cruise through life with a bird on my head. Thank you Laura! - SW

Love this book

Started reading this book initially because I thought it was about separation anxiety in dogs lol but the characters and the plot hooked me. Loved it! Listening for the the third time. Can’t wait for her next book!

Witty summer read

Fun and smart summer read about a family becoming older. As a new empty nester it spoke to feelings about children growing older and the changing family dynamics in a real way. I recommend for anyone who like “where did you go Bernadette?” The beginning was awesome. I look forward to reading more by this author

mom's feelings, laid bare by the author

I liked how the book ends with genuine love and care for each other and the boy Teddy.

I tried...

I wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it. I love a good escape but this was just too far fetched while being boring enough to have me constantly rewinding because my mind wandered. I normally try to finish a book once I’ve started, but I’m throwing in the towel on this one.

Boring

I would not recommend this book. It is boring. I feel I cannot connect to the characters. It feels like a chore trying to read this book. I thought it would be an interesting read due to having anxiety myself and an emotional support dog. I honestly rather ask for my money back. I don't think I can finished reading this book. Does it get better? Is it worth reading? I am seriously counting how many pages I have left in this book every time I turn the page. I know that sounds harsh but I like a book I can get lost in. When I finish a book or a series I miss the characters. Here I cannot wait to get rid of this negative book.