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Stuck between generations and making sandwiches for all ages

Cover of Sandwich:  A Novel
A review of Sandwich: A Novel by Catherine Newman

Rocky's family spends one week a year vacationing in a cottage on the Cape. Rocky, her husband, their two college-age or slightly older children, their son's girlfriend, and Rocky's elderly parents make the small, quaint cottage with a sensitive septic system their home away from home. There are not enough beds or chairs, and privacy is limited. There is plenty of swimming, relaxing on the beach, and enough penny candy to make lasting memories. And there are sandwiches lovingly prepared by Rocky filled with deli meats and cheeses, tuna salad, roasted red peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and more, all wrapped in aluminum foil and carefully packed into a cooler along with fresh fruit, seltzer water, dill pickle chips and other beach snacks. 

But vacation is not exactly relaxing. Rocky is overcome with nostalgia. And hot flashes. And crippling anxiety and feelings. So many feelings. While on vacation, life seems to stand still with an urgency to keep moving because there is a set period to accomplish everything the family has been waiting to do since last year. Will they swim in the pond? Yes!  Will they eat at The Crab Shack? Yes!  Will they collect rocks? Yes! Will they make it to the library book sale? Yes! Will they make it to the beach? It depends on if there's a shark alert. Because that's real life. 

Sandwich is a novel that perfectly depicts the sandwich generation. Rocky is a mom who still cares about and provides support for her adult children even though they are leading mostly independent lives. Her aging self needs more care and precaution than in years past and navigating vacation with elderly parents whose mobility, vision, and senses may be compromised is a whole other scene. At its core, Sandwich is about spending time together as a family and treating each other with love and respect. As with many families, it is infuriating, heartbreaking, hilarious and satisfying.

Nov 6, 2024