Your Roots Are Showing-Elise Chidley

Your Roots Are Showing
Elise Chidley
5 Spot, Oct 2008, $13.99
ISBN: 0446178144

Lizzie Buckley is frustrated, tired and bored. The suburban London mom takes care of her toddlers while her still handsome hunk of a husband James is always on the road. Overweight and over the top with resentment she sends a scathing email about James’ failures re her and their kids to her sister; only problem she sends it accidentally or perhaps Freudian slip accidentally to James.

James not needing much of an excuse leaves her and informs her he is filing for a divorce leaving Lizzie alone with their twins. She begs him to come home as she suffers anxiety attacks, but he refuses. Lizzie goes to a therapist and soon reflects on what has passed and soon concludes she has been depressed since the kids were born and her marriage added to her lack of self esteem. While she hopes to bring back the old Lizzie and persuade James they can still be a family, he is hanging with his assistant.

Stereotyping of the key secondary players detracts from an otherwise intriguing family drama in which the heroine is unaware that she suffers from post partum depression until her husband leaves. The story line is driven by the heroine who goes from a tin Lizzie to a dizzy Lizzie trying to mentally heal and get James back. Though Lizzie’s recovery seems a bit fast once she understands what happened to her; fans will enjoy her efforts as she could have quoted Genesis: “There must be some misunderstanding; There must be some kind of mistake” in her attempt to win James back.

Harriet Kalusner