Linda (Lily) Raiti's Reviews > Sandwich

Ahh, give me a story about a 50 year old woman, throw in menopause (identifiable & relatable), add poetic, entertaining, atmospheric writing and we have the perfect literary sandwich combo, worthy of gobbling up.

Sandwiched between generations - her now adult children and her loveable, aging parents, Rachel, aka Rocky takes us on a journey of a family annual week holiday at Cape Cod. There is self growth, passage, grief, relationships, family joy, loss, secrets and revelations to be had.

Written with incredibly clever humour but also with sweet, tender-heartedness. Rockys internal monologue curates memories from her own childhood, her marriage (early on and now) and raising her “perfect and beautiful” children.

It’s rare a book can make me laugh out loud and weep in equal measures as Sandwich did. Her candid vag and lady bits talk - told both from child bearing to her now old saggy aging one had me literally cackling - nearly all from my own similar experiences.

The raw and visceral emotion Newman brings to the narrative is written with unabashed vulnerability and introspection, seemingly deliberately and yet intricately observed.

“ Nick immediately pulls off his Red Sox T-shirt and Red Sox cap and asks Willa if she wants to swim. ‘Nah.’ She says. ‘I’m lazy. I’m just going to lay in the sun for a while.’ Nick catches my eye because lay instead of lie, but we don’t say anything because we’re trying not to be colonialist grammar-police fucktrumpets or what ever it is Willa has accused us of being.”

5 freaking stars 🌟

🤩 Huge thanks to the wonderful team @penguinbooksaus @catherinenewman for this absolute winner! 💌