Truly Madly Guilty

Clementine is one of the two central characters. She has two young daughters, Holly and Ruby, and a husband, Sam. Growing up, her mother, who was a part-time social worker, pressured her to befriend Erika, a girl with a difficult home environment. Although Clementine and Erika were friends, the pressure from her mother resulted in her feeling resentful of Erika. She often wished Erika would go home. She also likes Sylvia, Erika’s mother, who is dramatic and exciting to be around, despite how difficult she made Erika’s life.

As a cellist, she was taught early on to be extra nervous around auditions, to the point where her anxiety becomes disruptive to her family life. She is frustrated by her family’s presence preventing her from focusing on preparing for the audition. She struggles with feeling selfish and guilty for not being a perfect, self-sacrificing parent. Other parenting issues result from her feeling like not as good a parent as her husband, Sam, who would never lose track of a child. Although Sam wants to have another child, Clementine doesn’t but is unable to communicate openly with her husband. They are also having a hard time connecting sexually due to the presence of their toddler-aged children.