Judy, the narrator of Laura Zigman’s painfully funny new novel, SEPARATION ANXIETY, is, at age 50, sometimes relieved that she can move through the world invisibly: “For years, I’ve secretly loved the anonymity, the invisibility,” she admits, “the freedom to move around without the annoyance of comments, of worrying about what I look like and what it means.” As a child and young woman, Judy was chastised by her mother for being unusual…weird, even. That feeling of being on the receiving end of others’ puzzled glances, of feeling like “there’s a bird on my head,” was even the basis for Judy’s briefly famous children’s picture book and spinoff PBS series.

"Zigman deftly captures Judy’s voice and outlook with empathy and humor, including elements that verge on the absurd but never quite veer into satire."

But that fleeting fame and modest fortune are long gone. These days, Judy works as a content creator for a wellness site, while her husband Gary, a lapsed musician, provides snack catering for a collaborative workspace in their hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts. To say that Judy is unfulfilled in her work is an understatement, but professional disappointment pales in the face of what’s going on in her personal life. Judy constantly mourns the transformation of her beloved son, Teddy, from a curious, engaging child into a sullen, uncommunicative teenager. She also is mourning the impending passing of her oldest friend and former colleague, Glenn. Finally, she is frustrated by and sad about the apparent end of her marriage to Gary. The two are essentially separated --- the only thing keeping them living in the same house is that neither can afford to leave.

Overwhelmed by mounting losses (which began with the abrupt loss of her parents a few years earlier) and badgered by the administration at Teddy’s school over lapsed tuition payments, Judy longs for a sense of security, for someone who loves her uncomplicatedly, much like Teddy did when he was a baby. That’s why, in an impulsive moment while sorting through some of his old baby things, Judy grabs the family dog, Charlotte, and tucks her into a baby sling. Almost instantly, she feels better, even though on some level she knows she looks ridiculous. But who’s looking at her anyway?

SEPARATION ANXIETY perfectly dials into the anxieties and grief people feel as they transition from one phase of life to another, as they cope with the differences between how they might have imagined life looking at this stage with its quite different realities. Zigman deftly captures Judy’s voice and outlook with empathy and humor, including elements that verge on the absurd but never quite veer into satire. Readers will be cheering for Judy and the rest of her struggling family to find their way back to one another --- and to themselves.