Sandwich | Catherine Newman

This is one of those books that on all the "must read" lists and for good reason. It's really good. I don't know that I've read anything that nails the conflicting emotions and life events of a middle-aged woman like Newman does in Sandwich.

The book is set over a week at the family's annual vacation on Cape Cod. The descriptions of Cape Cod are spot-on. Rachel (called Rocky) and her husband Nick have two twenty-something kids and elderly parents who are all coming together for this yearly gathering. So Sandwich is not only about sandwiches (which Rocky is an expert at making) but also about being in the sandwich phase of life. Rocky is a mom, she's a daughter, she's menopausal. She frets, she worries, she wants everyone to be happy, no one to get hurt and everything to work out in the end. The family loves each other when it comes down to it, which is just what I was in the mood to read about.

The book is short, and beautifully written. It's funny and touching. I loved the whole thing, start to finish.