Mitchard, Jacquelyn. The Breakdown Lane.(Brief Article)(Book Review)

Mitchard, Jacquelyn. The Breakdown Lane. HarperCollins. Apr. 2005. c.400p. ISBN 0-06-058724-5. $25.95. F

Julianne Gillis Steiner, wife, mother, and advice columnist, is well aware of the challenges in keeping a marriage fresh. Faced with the usual domestic day-to-day events, she becomes suspicious when Leo, her husband of 20 years, seeks a "sabbatical" from their married life, leaving the family for six months and promising daily phone calls. Shortly after Leo's departure, Julianne is diagnosed with a serious illness. Although this novel could have easily become a maudlin …