[Sandwich] practically glows with family feeling . . . . [it] has much in common with Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, though Patchett’s novel doesn’t have an older generation, a key element here . . . . The laughter begins on the first page . . . and the great lines and witty observations never stop.” — Washington Post
“Finally, literary fiction has started to fully appreciate the joy of an older female narrator . . . . Rocky is a worthy member of this new and much-needed club, not just for her date of birth but also for her relatability . . . . 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. They will say, Same." — The Guardian
“Newman is warm, generous, always funny—but always with the intent to make you laugh at yourself as much as the characters. A beach novel to pass onto your best friends.” — Oprah Daily
"Secrets are confessed and ties between parents and their adult children are tested on a week's vacation in Cape Cod. Newman's light touch keeps this family drama from slipping into melodrama. Feels like eating pastries (from the "good" bakery) over coffee while venting to my mother on the beach." — Boston Globe
"With the pacing of a thriller, observations akin to poetry and real-life conflict like memoir, Newman’s novel about one family’s week on Cape Cod should find a place in your beach bag, even if your own summer vacation is in Bali. The menopausal Rocky, her husband, their two grown children (along with one’s partner), and her aged parents enjoy time-honored traditions but also have to figure out how to negotiate time’s changes on all of them." — Los Angeles Times
"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
"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." — Apple Books Pick for Best Books of June
"Sandwich reminds me of Laurie Colwin’s Happy All the Time—Newman shares Colwin's ability to write about intertwined happiness and heartbreak (as well as her passion for food). I found myself snorting out loud with laughter, the wheezing kind, then all at once, deeply moved. This is a book about love and change and loss, all packed into an annual family week on Cape Cod. And it’s a total delight." — Kate Christensen, author of The Great Man and Welcome Home, Stranger
“Newman imbues Rocky’s internal struggles with importance and gravity, all while showcasing her very funny observations about life and parenting. She examines motherhood with a raw honesty that few others manage—she remembers the hard parts, the depths of despair, panic, and anxiety that can happen with young children, and she also recounts the joy in a way that never feels saccharine. She has a gift for exploring the real, messy contradictions in human emotions . . . . A moving, hilarious reminder that parenthood, just like life, means constant change.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Newman . . . returns with a story about a woman coming to terms with life over 50. As her family gathers for the annual vacation on Cape Cod, Rocky is worn out by menopause and nostalgia . . . . she is within the sandwich generation, torn between past and present. Readers in this age group will relate to Rocky’s woes, and as the novel’s tone becomes more serious, they may identify with Rocky’s history as well. This is a quick yet moving read that will stay with readers long after the last page.” — Booklist (starred review)
"I loved reading this book! Not only do I want to send this gracious family a thank you note for having me along for a week at the beach, I’m still laughing out loud when I think of some sentences, and lumping up in my throat when I think of others." — Eliza Minot, author of In the Orchard and The Tiny One
“Newman . . . has skillfully crafted both setting and characters in this novel that will resonate with all in the "sandwich generation," caregivers for parents and children alike . . . . There is just enough humor thrown in that readers may laugh as much as they cry at the all-too-relatable situations and the razor-sharp witty conversations among the family members. Women’s fiction readers will gobble this delicious (though at times heartbreaking) sandwich right up.” — Library Journal (starred review)
"Catherine Newman nails it all: the hilarious domestic details of family life, the tremendous stakes of our most personal choices, and the vulnerability of loving other human beings wholeheartedly. I feel this book so deep in my bones." — Mary Laura Philpott, author of Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives
"I just finished Catherine Newman’s latest novel, Sandwich. I was reading it while waiting at my daughter’s ballet class, and I was crying-snorting-laughing." — Erin Boyle, Big Salad Newsletter
"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
★ 2024-03-23
During an annual beach vacation, a mother confronts her past and learns to move forward.
Her family’s annual trip to Cape Cod is always the highlight of Rocky’s year—even more so now that her children are grown and she cherishes what little time she gets with them. Rocky is deep in the throes of menopause, picking fights with her loving husband and occasionally throwing off her clothes during a hot flash, much to the chagrin of her family. She’s also dealing with her parents, who are crammed into the same small summer house (with one toilet that only occasionally spews sewage everywhere) and who are aging at an alarmingly rapid rate. Rocky’s life is full of change, from her body to her identity—she frequently flashes back to the vacations of years past, when her children were tiny. Although she’s grateful for the family she has, she mourns what she’s lost. Newman (author of the equally wonderful We All Want Impossible Things, 2022) imbues Rocky’s internal struggles with importance and gravity, all while showcasing her very funny observations about life and parenting. She examines motherhood with a raw honesty that few others manage—she remembers the hard parts, the depths of despair, panic, and anxiety that can happen with young children, and she also recounts the joy in a way that never feels saccharine. She has a gift for exploring the real, messy contradictions in human emotions. As Rocky puts it, “This may be the only reason we were put on this earth. To say to each other, I know how you feel.”
A moving, hilarious reminder that parenthood, just like life, means constant change.
