If you’re looking for a deep, thought-provoking novel, “Your Roots Are Showing” by Elise Chidley isn’t it. However, if you’re looking to give your brain a break from all of those political science readings, this novel just might be a great vacation for your gray matter. In her debut novel, Chidley tries to create a light, witty novel with some serious underlying themes, but she ultimately misses the mark and ends up with a scattered plot, one-dimensional characters and a weak ending.
The main character, Lizzie, is married to handsome and wealthy James, and together they have two rambunctious 3-year-old twins. In a fit of repressed emotions at her husband and children, Lizzie fires off an angst-filled e-mail to her sister, detailing her non-existent sex drive (“Sorting out the sock drawer sounds like a better option to me than sex right now.”) and the resentment of her husband because of this and for having to care for the children on her own. She even mentions how nice life would be if James just disappeared and how he also has no clue she is feeling this way.
Upon reading the e-mail, James immediately packs his things and leaves, filing for a divorce petition not long after, without listening to a single thing desperate, non-divorce-desiring Lizzie has to say. Chidley creates an unbelievable scenario where the husband and wife have little to no dialogue about divorce, a life-altering decision not to be made on a whim. The way their relationship is portrayed throughout the novel gives the impression that it was flawed from the beginning; there are high school couples with more mature relationships than these two characters, and it is hard to relate to this relationship.
As Lizzie struggles to piece her life back together, many new themes are introduced to the reader. It is made fairly obvious that Lizzie was/is suffering from postpartum depression, but this topic is merely glossed over. Because of this, it’s also clear the author wanted to keep the tone light, but she does this to a fault. Even when Lizzie develops an exercising addiction and loses an almost scary amount of weight, the novel’s tone is kept light and humorous, with the biting British wit ever-present. Even though the character is seeing a therapist, her deep emotional issues are not really explored. These issues are precisely why her relationship has failed and why she is having trouble with new ones, but Chidley skirts around the difficult subject matter.
The characters Chidley creates are there to serve obvious purposes. There is the nosey neighbor to catalyze uncomfortable situations, the hunky gardener to serve as a distraction, the best friend for support and criticism, children for comic relief, and a slew of others that the reader never gets to really know. The only one who is really exposed is Lizzie, and the story is only told through her perspective, an interesting device considering she has such a dry sense of humor. But with the lack of character development, it is hard to push the plot lines very far, and the story begins to run on a bit long and predictable.
The predictability is mildly altered when Chidley throws a small twist in toward the end. It is not incredibly shocking, but it does change the mindset of the reader and catalyzes the ending of this slightly drawn-out novel. The ending, unlike the rest of the book, though, is so quick it is almost missed. The culmination of the novel’s central conflict of James and Lizzie is summed up in about three pages. The novel takes another turn here as it goes from cynical and light to fairy tale romance, and the end comes with a sugary coating. It seems as if Chidley rushes to finish the novel, as if the publishers were putting the heat on her and her deadline was already passed. Thusly, “Your Roots Are Showing” is almost completely ruined by this shoddy conclusion.
Of course, this novel is not a complete bust. Its uncomplicated yet engaging plot will give the mind a break; there are many parts sure to induce laughter, and overall, Chidley’s debut novel is an enjoyable read. However, “Your Roots Are Showing” falls flat — there are much better books to take a brain vacation with.
2 1/2 stars out of 5
