One week in Cape Cod. The perfect family holiday. What could possibly go wrong…? From the author of We All Want Impossible Things, a raucously funny novel with an unexpected punch about being ‘sandwiched’ between growing children and ageing parents and the power of change.
From the bestselling author of WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS (Richard & Judy Book Club 2023)
‘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
‘A piece of perfection… Family, love, secrets, a marriage that is ordinary, imperfect, sexy and beautiful… I laughed, I cried and I laughed some more… a wonderful book about how families love, disagree, fail one another – and endure.’ RACHEL JOYCE, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
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\”Oh, honey,\” I say. \”I’m sorry. Don’t worry about me! I’m totally good. I’m so, so happy to be here with you.\”
This is how it is to love somebody. You tell them the truth. You lie a little. And sometimes you don’t say anything at all…\”
For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their rustic beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, its quirky furniture and mismatched pots and pans greeted like old friends.
Now, sandwiched between her children who are adult enough to be fun but still young enough to need her, and her parents who are alive and healthy, Rocky wants to preserve this golden moment forever. This one precious week when everything is in balance; everything is in flux.
But every family has its secrets and hers is no exception. With her body in open revolt and surprises invading her peaceful haven, the perfectly balanced seesaw of Rocky’s life is tipping towards change…
____________
Praise for Catherine Newman’s WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS-
‘Nora-Ephron-style wit … one of my favourite books ever’ MARIAN KEYES
‘One of the best novels on friendship I’ve ever read’ AJ PEARCE
‘Newman writes loss and laughter in equally brilliant amounts.’ BONNIE GARMUS
‘An absolute masterpiece in characterisation…utterly beautiful’ JOANNA CANNON
‘Quite simply glorious’ SARAH TURNER
‘An unbelievably brilliant and funny book about friendship, family, food, sex, and death.’ KATHERINE HEINY
‘This is a proper laugh-out-loud tale of friendship that will utterly win your heart’ STYLIST
‘A beautiful, uplifting testament to female friendship that will make you laugh and cry.’ WOMAN
‘Remarkable ….whip-smart, funny, beautifully observed.’ OBSERVER
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Imprint: Doubleday UK
Publication date: 04/06/2024
Sandwich
By Catherine Newman
Review by Harriet
Rocky, her husband, their adult children and her parents have come together for their annual summer vacation, and find themselves navigating a disorientating familial juncture, when dynamics between parents and their adult children are shifting and the weight of responsibility and care starts flowing both ways.
But what a treat to spend a week with them, and the comforting routines and intoxicating sensations that shape their summers; you can feel the tickle of sand-encrusted cold drinks, and the softness of a toddler's pudgy arms, and savour the making, and beach-side devouring, of the sandwiches – one of several sublime passages on food.
Interactions and revelations are inevitably heightened by the ritual of the gathering, and the past that it summons, and Rocky, observing with compassion and sparkling humour at the centre of it all, feels the echoes of secrets, loss and bodily reckonings most keenly. In less deft hands, some of the heavier aspects of parenthood, marriage and ageing could overwhelm this slim novel, but Newman takes care to keep joy close by, capturing and uplifting the myriad tiny, hilarious, messy and achingly tender moments of everyday life.
Reading this at the tail-end of winter only served to sharpen the vitality and poignancy of this generous, moving and exquisitely sensory novel. For fans of Meg Mason, Katherine Heiny and Noelle McCarthy’s Grand.
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