Rocky, a 50-something wife and mother, is caught between the lives of her aging parents and young adult children in Catherine Newman’s aptly-titled Sandwich.
It’s summer vacation which means the family’s annual weeklong trip to Cape Cod. They’ve stayed in the same rental cottage for decades making it rife with memories for everyone, but especially Rocky.
There are certain traditions Rocky strives to maintain even when events threaten to thwart them. Her efforts to recreate days at the beach and dinners out are crafted from long-standing habits; the family has always taken a cooler filled with the same type of sandwiches or always gone to a specific restaurant on a certain day within the seven spent at the beach. Yet this year things are different.
The rental has seen better days. Rocky is in the throes of menopause; she frequently acknowledges this which is also evident in her reactions to situations around her. But there’s more: other matters surface connected to long-held secrets and the realization that her children are increasingly more independent and parents are more so; they always join the family midweek.
The narrative is told through Rocky’s voice moving back and forth from the past to the present. Some memories are more joyful than others, as are some of the current happenings. All impact her mood and her relationship with her husband, daughter, son and his girlfriend.
Newman’s writing is engaging resulting in a well-paced relatable novel. In many ways, a week has never gone so quickly.
Sandwich
Three-and-a-half Bookmarks
Harper, 2024
240 pages
The Blue Page Special 
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