Sandwich
A Novel
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3.8 • 36 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“Sandwich is joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry. Catherine Newman does a miraculous job reminding us of all the wonder there is to be found in life."—Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake
“If you like my novels, you will love love love this . . . . I stand in awe, it’s just perfect.”—Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Swan Song
“A total delight.”—Kate Christensen
From the beloved author of We All Want Impossible Things and Wreck, a moving, hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch, and learning to let go.
For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and—thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing—septic too.
This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past—except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing—her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers.
It's one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this hilarious and moving novel about parenthood in all its forms, a mother contemplates her past, present, and future on an annual family vacation to Cape Cod. Loving family is a particular kind of torture: sweet, complicated, and constantly changing. No one is more painfully aware of this than Rocky, a writer in her early fifties who’s in the throes of menopause. Through bouts of rage and sadness—mostly directed toward her easygoing husband, Nick—and small moments of pure joy, like making the perfect sandwich for each family member to take to the beach, Rocky navigates her way through a week spent in a run-down summer house with her two newly adult kids and rapidly aging parents. We loved the raw honesty author Catherine Newman gives this short but emotionally complex novel. Fans of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere and Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You will love the relatable characters, unexpected laughs, and tender moments of Sandwich.
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.
