Sandwich

A Novel

By: Catherine Newman

Narrated by: Nan McNamara

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

“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 total delight.”—Kate Christensen, author of The Great Man and Welcome Home, Stranger

From the beloved author of We All Want Impossible Things, 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.

©2024 Catherine Newman (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Disappointed , didn’t love the story or narrator

Very short (good summer read) but disappointing; didn’t love the narrator.. interesting topic but and liked imagining the setting but just didn’t grab me..

Depressing

Rocky was extremely depressed and never received the proper therapy. She said she had seen a therapist, but never told him/ her about the babies and therefore never resolved her primary issue.
There were some very funny moments, and the writing is good. Overall was depressing to listen to.

great feelings spoke about

enjoyef the raw feelings. a multi generational gem that should not be missed this summer

Cape Cos

Details and characters
Never quite crosses the line for a 5 star rating, but worth the read

Rolled my eyes a lot

This book had some good dialogue but otherwise I had a hard time sticking with it. Kind of stupid.

Relatable

I’m a middle aged woman, and this story really spoke to me. The writing is great, too. An enjoyable, quick read.

It was so earnest!

I was often distracted listening to this book—very detailed and boring. I was looking for a bit of irreverent humor but instead was inundated with the Hallmark channel.

It just went on and on

A description of family life during a vacation week, except that the narrator went on and on about her unfettered rage, her menopause symptoms in the most graphic sense, and various conditions of her vagina throughout the book. Hell, I went thru menopause too, and I just felt like telling the narrator to get over it. The plot was just ok. Not that great.

Portrait of Motherhood and the Female Experience

I have to start/find a book club just to discuss all the nuances of this novel.

On the surface, it's your standard family vacation on the Cape read. but it's so much more than that. It delves into one woman's experience as mother, daughter, wife ... but in relating her deepest feelings about her relationship with her husband, her helpless love for her almost-grown children, love and worry for her aging parents, and the trials and tribulations of menopause, Rocky becomes "Everywoman".
(I should mention that this is an upper middle class white family, professional and very liberal.)

Rocky's family members are drawn so finely that they jump off the pages into your heart. They are smart, funny, acerbic, quirky. Her husband is steady, a straight man to her crazy mood swings and irrational (except to mothers) fears, but a strong character in his own right. The only person who felt off was her father, stereotyped into an annoying boomer dad.

The book was very funny. It was also very deep and often heartbreaking. Mostly, it was just a lot of fun to spend a week on the Cape with such great people.

I listened to the audiobook, and plan to order a paper copy for my small "favorite books" library. It's the next best thing to spending my next vacation with her wonderful family.

Trying Too Hard to Be “Woke”

There are some lines of interest in the novel that provide a brief glimpse of seeds for introspection. Otherwise it is a rambling bunch of words by a Gen X person seeking the approval of Gen Z. I was glad when it ended.