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

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.

Separate from this Book to Relieve Anxiety

I was excited to check out this book based on the description however it was so bad it was difficult to get through. The main character is not likable or relatable, nor were any other characters. The storyline was erratic, juvenile, and a disappointment, it was uncomfortable and exhausting. I do not recommend this book.

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.

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.

Struggled

I struggled with this book. The narrator was incredibly hard to empathize with, very unlikeable, and almost unbelievable. I know anxiety, depression, and crutches are very real things. That wasn't the unbelievable part. The "bird on her head" was that she put her dog in a sling. It gave her comfort.

But as a dog person, I can tell that the character wasn't a dog person. The dog was barely described, there weren't many loving interactions between human and dog, etc. It felt hollow and so I struggled to believe in the crutch.

There are some funny parts, but it lost me somewhere along the way.

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

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.

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.

Very strange and uncomfortable

I’m a very neurotic snd emotional person but even I couldn’t relate to this bizarre story.

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