By Catherine Newman—Harper, 2024
Sandwich is an apt title for this heartwarming read. Rocky and Nick are in that place in life where they are sandwiched between grown children and older parents—and this vacationing family eats a lot of sandwiches. For the past two decades, they’ve rented the same Cape Cod cottage for a week each summer. This year, their grown children and Rocky’s aging parents join them. Bringing together three generations of adults (and one bathroom) is quite an ambitious undertaking. Rocky, 54 and menopausal, is overflowing with emotions as she reflects on motherhood, her empty nest, her parents’ mortality and the choices she’s made over the years. Like most beach vacations, this one involves plenty of meaningful conversations and lots of eating. Above all, the story is filled with an abundance of love and is packed with relatable experiences for any of us who are in, or have been in, or might someday be in a similar life stage.
