Irony In 'The Breakdown Lane'

A husband's midlife crisis, the challenge of raising three children and maintaining a career, plus a debilitating illness, sounds like enough to turn any woman into a desperate housewife.

Author Jacquelyn Mitchard's confronts all these issues in her latest novel, "The Breakdown Lane."

She visits The Saturday Early Show to talk about it. Click here to read an excerpt from Chapter One.

The desperate housewife, Julieanne Gillis, happens to be an advice columnist. Mitchard notes her book is filled with ironies.

Mitchard says, "This book is rich with possibilities for irony. Julianne really believed, especially in her career as an advice columnist, that there was an answer for every question. There was a solution for every problem. The sin at the beginning of the book is that of pride.

"Julianne thought she did life rather well and she could pass on some of the things she had learned in life through her column to others. Little did she know that she was a real 'desperate housewife' and that it was not her fault, but there were problems for which there was no answer."

Looking around at the real world, Mitchard says, it is very plausible for a middle-aged husband to re-evaulate his life. Talking about the character in the book, she says, "I'm not making Leo up. Just look around - this happens all the time. Look at Prince Charles. Men will have what they will have. But these guys - in Leo's world, they really believe that the clock has struck and they know that they are going to die. They aren't going to live forever and they want to go for the gusto - dishonestly. Leo is extreme about what he does."

Mitchard is all about "Be careful what you wish for."

Leo goes to "Happy Valley" and finds the dark heart of the Happy Valley. She says, "Leo got exactly what he wanted. He's so self-righteous. He didn't want the children growing up to believe that you stay in a marriage for the happiness of the children. You have to pursue happiness for yourself. That doesn't hold water. You don't realize the effect. But for Leo, it's all about now and ultimately, it's not really wrong to seek out what you desire. He believes it's more honest than trying to maintain a marriage that's grown cold to you."

Stay tuned to find out more.