Separation Anxiety

A Novel

By: Laura Zigman

Narrated by: Courtney Patterson

“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 bestselling 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.

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.

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