Our friend Catherine Newman (known for Cold Swim, Teenage Boys, and Home Tours) has a new novel out called sandwich To make sure I don’t bury clues here, I love it so much I can’t stop talking about it and can’t stop texting my friends full paragraphs saying, “Yep!!???”
The novel follows a family who has been renting a beachfront home on Cape Cod for 20 years, and centers on Rachel (“Rocky”), a 55-year-old mother who is flawed but loves to push boundaries. She’s on holiday with her husband Nick, their two expressive children Willa and Jamie, both in their twenties, and Jamie’s long-term girlfriend Maya. Loki’s elderly parents also make a cameo appearance, as this is Loki’s life now, figuring out her role as she’s caught between two generations. Technically speaking, sandwich It’s a summer read because it takes place during a weeklong beach vacation in the summer, and, well, look at that big summer house on the cover. I see completely Funny and hilarious, this is summer reading.
but! Do I need to remind you that this is Katherine Newman – the author We all want the impossibleAnd about a million other stories that may or may not rearrange your worldview on everything from empty nests to raising teenagers to drinking — I can’t think of anyone who writes more openly about joy and The way grief works in lockstep, especially as we care for our children, as we care for our aging parents, as we care for our aging bodies. exist sandwichBetween a fairytale clam shack dinner and an ocean sunset that looks like a “melting popsicle,” we learn about Loki’s past, a series of painful memories wrapped in dark secrets. “As a human being, it’s so beautiful,” Loki, 55, tells her 20-year-old daughter in the prologue—a statement that may sound corny to those unfamiliar with Newman. Until Rocky’s daughter rolled her eyes and replied, “But it’s so scary and ridiculous.”
most of the beauty and wisdom sandwich in her interactions with politically active, articulate children, and Loki’s day-to-day observations about raising adult children. Ask your child if they allow you to use the phrase “That slaps.” (Conclusion: Probably not.) Accidentally liked an Instagram post about her son’s crush, then panicked and unliked and re-liked it. (“I’m sorry, you guys, I’m the worst!” is an old Rocky saying.) By staring at your children and not really listening to them, it’s unbelievable that you’re making these people “start all over again.” When you come home from vacation without them, you feel empty.
The vacation itself added an extra layer of relevance: the toilet in the rental was clogged the first night. The Jean Naté lotion in the bathroom smells like “everyone’s mother in 1975.” Couldn’t get the family out of the house before 1:00pm for an epic sandwich wrap on the beach. (She always made sandwiches.) Food, oh my God, food! “Why does this taste so good?” Rocky asks her when she eats whitefish-coated Ritz crackers at cocktail hour, to which Jamie replies, “Horseradish? Lemon? Holidays?” She’s fascinated by her grown children, who Their wit, their work at startups, their compassion, their bodies. “They’re so grown up! So young. Mine, not mine, just like always.”
It’s all so dizzyingly captivating that you barely notice how heavy your heart becomes – or “filled,” as Newman might say – as you carry Loki’s sorrow with you. (The phrase “first slowly, then suddenly” comes to mind here.) As Loki grapples with the grief of her past, she’s also dealing with the realities and confusions of menopause. “life. While there are mood swings and hot flashes, Newman’s account of menopause is more nuanced and personal – and sometimes even funny. Just like the following description of forgetfulness:
correct? ! Congratulations on all the rave reviews, Catherine! We just love your books.
PS Catherine’s Happy House Tour and a darkly funny book that you can’t stop thinking about.
