Sandwich

Sandwich by Catherine Newman (2024) 229 pages

Rocky and her husband Nick and their children have been taking a week's vacation in the same shabby little rental cottage on Cape Cod for years and years. She loves this time with her young adult children, who live away from home now. Rocky's relationship with her daughter is especially close. This novel chronicles their visit day by day one summer. 

Rocky is a perimenopausal 50-something, with hot flashes coming and going at all times, yanking her moods up and down with them. I resent it a bit that the most realistic depictions of women are in novels like this, which show all our foibles! So many times I laughed out loud: Newman's wording is so perfect. Rocky will agree in her mind with something her husband has said, and then when she opens her mouth to say it out loud, she is disagreeing with him!

Later in the vacation week, Rocky's parents join them at the cottage, and now we see where the title comes from - Rocky is the sandwiched generation and although her parents are kind and loving, they haven't been sharing their medical issues with her, which makes her feel concerned and extra squished by life.

Quick read. I liked it a lot.