Harper | Book Chatter

Sandwich
By Catherine Newman
Harper, 9780063345164, June 2024, 240pp.

The Short of It:

Reading this book was like curling up with your favorite throw.

The Rest of It:

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and–thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing–septic too.

What you see above is just a little tease of Sandwich, which I found to be utterly delightful. I do not describe many books as delightful so hear me when I say it. Reading this book gave me all the feels and was delightful to read.

One precious week at the beach house. Both adult children able to attend as Rocky and her husband happily recreate all of the memories from years past. The seafood dinners, the snacks on the deck, the trek to the beach, and this year, their son’s girlfriend has decided to join them.

The dynamics have changed. The kids are no longer babies, requiring Rocky’s constant attention, they have their own ideas of how to spend time at the beach house. What’s also changed is Rocky. Experiencing menopause while happily remembering how she raised two small children is touching, but also terribly bittersweet for Rocky. She is definitely going through it in this story.

As the days tick by, the joy of just being together takes center stage. There is a lot of internal dialogue as Rocky comes to terms with her new, older self. I love internal dialogue and for those who love food mentions, all the good stuff is here too. The sandwiches on the beach, the trips to the fish market, the clam shack, etc. I adore these domestic moments.

It’s not all fluff though. Rocky, also known as Rachel, has some secrets of her own as she fights to remain level-headed and not be so hormonal, all of the time. As her body betrays her, and that’s really how she sees it, she can’t help but wonder what’s next for her. Her whole life was tending to littles. Now that they’re no longer little, what now? When her aging parents visit them at the beach house, that too becomes a heavy topic. Aging parents. Seeing the slow markers of decline but trying to ignore them and maybe even wish them away.

Sandwich is about a family, in the past, present, and future set amongst a gorgeous Cape Cod backdrop. Newman hits on a few social issues such as pro-choice / pro-life, women’s health, a touch of mental health as well. I’ve been really gravitating towards these types of “life” reads. I was jokingly calling these types of books menopausal fiction but no, it’s not really that. These stories are more about life than anything else and I just love them.

This book reminded me of Same as it Ever Was, which I recently reviewed but this one is happier, cozier, just more enjoyable overall. I loved it so much that I plan to buy my own copy as the one I read was borrowed.

Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Tom Lake
By Ann Patchett
Published by Harper,9780063327528, August 2023, 320pp

The Short of It:

Tom Lake will capture your heart.

The Rest of It:

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew. ~ Indiebound

Oh, how I loved this one. It starts off a little slow but once you get into it, it’s very hard to put down. The family dynamic has a very strong pull. These sisters, sharing their stories, their hopes and dreams while working in the orchard will absolutely capture your heart. And their mother, Lara and how she chooses to share snippets of her wildly exciting times as an actress will satisfy any theater kid at heart.

I won’t lie though. It’s not all fun and games. As glamorous as being a lead in a show is, in this case a summer production of Our Town, it has its drawbacks as well. For one, Lara’s infatuation with Peter Duke has her throwing all caution to the wind. A young girl, so in love, is bound to find heartache. No?

As Lara shares bits of that summer with her girls, they begin to put things together and although they thought they knew their mother quite well, they realize that she is her own person and perhaps not everything is to be shared.

I was a theater kid in high school and of course, both my kids went down that same path so it was no surprise how much I enjoyed Tom Lake. You don’t have to be a die hard theater kid to love this story though. It’s about love, the importance of family, the friends we cherished as young adults, and how a life comes to be. Sometimes not exactly as we imagined it but sweet, nonetheless.

Do yourself a favor and find a copy of this book.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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