Sandwich
The NYT bestseller from the author of Richard & Judy Book Club pick, We All Want Impossible Things
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3.8 • 26 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
From the NYT bestselling author of We All Want Impossible Things
‘Sandwich is joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry.’ Ann Patchett, bestselling author of Tom Lake
'Engaging, frank, funny and moving' Daily Mail
‘A protagonist like Rocky is so necessary, because a whole generation will now be able to read this wise and exquisitely written story and say I know how you feel.’ Guardian
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One week by the beach in their favourite spot, the perfect family holiday. What could possibly go wrong?
For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape.
The humble, quirky beach house they rent has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, shared mishaps and memories. It is a place where her family comes together and Rocky wants to cling to every moment.
Now, sandwiched between her children who are adult enough to be fun but still young enough to need her, and her parents who are ageing but healthy, Rocky wants to preserve this precious moment of balance for ever.
But life is always full of surprises and this week will be no exception. With her body in open revolt and surprises invading her peaceful haven, the seesaw of Rocky’s life is tipping towards change…
Praise for SANDWICH:
‘If you are after a book to pack on your next holiday, look no further. Here is a novel which will go down as easily as a chilled poolside drink’ i Newspaper
‘A wonderful book about how families love, disagree, fail one another - and endure’ Rachel Joyce, bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
‘I stand in awe… it’s just perfect’ Elin Hilderbrand, bestselling author of Swan Song and The Perfect Couple
‘Will have you laughing through your tears . . . . You’ll be screenshotting paragraphs of this heartbreakingly honest novel to send to your friends’ Real Simple
‘Astute emotional insight and an infectious sense of humour. A gem of a novel’ Observer
‘I adored this novel and am forcing it on everyone I know - Jenny Colgan, author of The Summer Skies
‘Newman is truly a master of taking complex and chaotic human emotion and making sense of it’ Guardian
‘If you want to laugh out loud, tear up and rush to pull out a book in the 35 seconds between subway stops, this sweet, savory, tenderhearted Sandwich fits the bill, and goes down like (bread and) buttah’ New York Times
DISCOVER THE NEW NOVEL BY CATHERINE NEWMAN - WRECK: 'The kind of book that pulls up a chair, pours the wine, and dives deep' Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People
New York Times bestseller, July 2024
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Newman (We All Want Impossible Things) returns with a slight story about the pleasures of beach time and the trials of middle age. Rocky, an anxious and volatile writer in her 50s, spends a week at her family's aging Cape Cod vacation cottage with her preternaturally patient and easygoing husband, Nick; their two grown children, Jamie and Willa; and her sweet parents. Much of the novel, which Rocky narrates, has a light, comic tone. She details the ingredients of elaborate picnic lunches, describes swims in a nearby pond and days at the beach, and kvetches about the impact of menopause, which afflicts her with sudden rages and the realization that "activities that may injure you include ping-pong, napping, and opening a tub of Greek yogurt." This amiable tone contrasts sharply with Rocky's horrifying memories about the loss of two pregnancies when Willa was a baby. As the week wears on, she feels increasingly compelled to reveal secrets from that period to her family. Although a sudden medical emergency and squabbles between Rocky and Nick add some suspense, the novel gets bogged down in cloying banter and anticlimactic revelations. Rocky may content herself with the discovery that "it's just everything, all the time. EVERYTHING." Readers, however, are likely to be less than satisfied.
