The Shut-Out Wife

It is an unhappy phenomenon. A once loving husband turns cold and inaccessible. His attitude, behavior and choices-from self-focus and new female friendships to confusion and mixed messages-can create a divide between him and his wife, making her feel "shut out" of his life and locked out of her own marriage. It's even worse if he begins a midlife affair, believing that he's found new and true love elsewhere. In such instances, it's too easy and too common for a passing midlife episode to end up costing both him and the wife he's shut out the happy security of the marriage in their later years. Enter Debra Macleod's The Shut-Out Wife: Breaking Through Your Husband's Midlife Crisis, a must-read book based on one of the author's popular online Marriage SOS programs. Drawing on her background as a marital mediator, relationship author, "Fair, but Aware" approach and over two decades of experience working with wives and husbands struggling with this issue, Debra Macleod, BA, JD, offers the shut-out wife a plainspoken, powerful guide to help her master that balancing act-winning back her husband without losing herself in the process.* *But take note: Part One of this book encourages the reader to look at her own behavior and how she can mitigate her husband's midlife crisis. It does this for a strategic reason-to ensure that she can confidently employ the strategies offered in parts two and three, where the author proceeds to such challenging topics as how to handle a husband's self-focus, new obsessions and midlife infidelity. The Shut-Out Wife is therefore best suited for readers who are willing to consider its diverse content in its entirety. The goal is to make the marriage happier and more stable for years to come. That will take a holistic view of the author's guidance plus a willingness to consider all strategies and work through the practical questions presented.