Sandwich

Newman (We All Want Impossible Things) has skillfully crafted both setting and characters in this novel that will resonate with all in the “sandwich generation,” caregivers for parents and children alike. Fiftysomething writer Rocky has been enjoying her family’s annual summer Cape Cod trip for more than 20 years. This novel focuses on a single week with Rocky’s husband, Nick, and their now twentysomething kids, Jamie and Willa, sharing their one-bathroom rental with Rocky’s parents and Jamie’s girlfriend, Maya. The familiar setting gives Rocky plenty of opportunity to both dwell on the family’s messy past and hold tight to the sunnier memories. As in most families, there are painful secrets, and Rocky is confronted with sharing hers. There is just enough humor thrown in that readers may laugh as much as they cry at the all-too-relatable situations and the razor-sharp witty conversations among the family members.