Separation Anxiety; quirky, comic and real

Separation Anxiety is definitely not my usual read. Yes, it took me a little bit to get into as initially I felt I just couldn’t relate to the story or the characters. But you know what, that’s the beauty of reading outside your comfort zone because I soon changed my mind and loved this book for it’s quirkiness and raw honesty.

This is a book that is written with real authenticity resulting in a moving narrative that is also often funny, cringy and relatable.

It is also very unique as it’s the story of 50-year-old Judy who starts ‘wearing the family dog…across the front of my body like a messenger bag‘. I’ve got to be honest with you, when I first read this I was confused and had to reread it. Why would anyone wear their dog in a baby sling, especially a fairly large ‘Lassie‘ dog? But as I read on and discovered more about Judy and her life I understood why and I found myself really empathising with her.

Judy is struggling with many aspects in her life. In her own personal view she is a failed author; her 13-year-old son Teddy doesn’t seem to need her anymore; and although she is practically separated from her husband Gary, they can’t afford to divorce so are still living together. To add to this, her best friend Glenn is terminally ill.

Yes I know this all sounds grim and depressing, but Laura Zigman shows us a portrait of modern life with so many cringeworthy snapshots of humour. I actually found it heart warming, funny and refreshing. Reading Separation Anxiety I laughed a lot. I also related to how Judy felt about some of the comic, surreal and very cringeworthy situations she found herself in. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so you’ll need to read Separation Anxiety yourself to find out what I’m on about.

There is also a brilliant ‘who dunnit’ element to the book which is comedy but poignant too. I was desperate to discover who the culprit was. This angle further enhanced the story, providing intrigue with emotional depth.

As I got more immersed Judy’s story I was worried I would be disappointed with the ending, but thankfully that was not to be. I finished this book with my heart warmed and a smile on my face.

To sum up Separation Anxiety, I think it’s a very clever narrative full of wisdom and dry humour. It is a novel about many of the insecurities we all have but struggle to keep hidden; it is a novel about self acceptance.

Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to the blog tour of Separation Anxiety to help promote it’s paperback release on 16th April 2020. To follow the tour please see below.

My rating: