In 2005, Lisa Thomson made the most difficult decision of her life.
It was April Fools Day, but it was no joke – she was leaving her husband.
From the outside, their marriage appeared charmed: he was a successful executive and she was a stay-at-home mom raising their son and daughter. But inside, she felt empty and unloved. She wanted out.
Thomson hoped she and her spouse could remain on good terms. After all, they’d been married for 18 years. In the five years that followed, however, she not only became all too familiar with the legal system, but experienced unexpected familial and social fallout.
In her new book, The Great Escape: A Girl’s Guide to Leaving a Marriage, the Delta resident shares her experiences and personal stories in an effort to assist others going through divorce.
“I’m passionate about helping other women because of everything I’ve been through. I feel I’m a lot wiser than I was,” she says. “The idea of the book is to give a real guide from the trenches.”
The book, says Thomson, is geared toward women but could be helpful for the “economically dependent” spouse.
“It’s such a tough, emotional thing to go through” for anyone, she says.
The guide begins with a quiz for the reader to analyze their situation and then proceeds through the actual departure process and ongoing challenges.
Thomson says while the stereotype tends to be that the man leaves the woman (generally for a younger woman), when it doesn’t happen that way, outsiders are often judgmental.
“If you’re a woman and you leave, you don’t get the same amount of support from family and friends,” she says. “You may not be the victim, but you’re in just as much pain.”
The book deals with budgeting, as resources can suddenly be dramatically reduced. And it talks about the parenting aspects, such as how to tell your children and how to deal with the confusion and conflict that often comes from shared custody and co-parenting.
She also broaches the topic of “parental alienation” where one spouse will say and do things to turn the child against the other spouse.
“I had no idea,” admits Thomson. “I’d never heard of it.”
It also steers readers through the legal process and provides basics such as definitions of legal terms.
“If you’ve never dealt with a lawyer before, it can be very intimidating.”
To purchase The Great Escape: A Girl’s Guide to Leaving a Marriage, visit