Gail's Reviews > Sandwich

My children may not be the age of Rocky's children in this novel (early 20s), but I've been parenting long enough to know how quickly time flies and how, before I know it, they will be.

I suppose I'll be due for a re-read of this little gem by then. Honestly, maybe I'll pick it back up again every year of my 40s because this novel does a BEAUTIFUL job capturing that "sandwich" era of a woman's life between raising children to adulthood and taking care of one's elderly parents.

I'm a firm believer the best books—the ones that stamp a permanent mark on your heart—find you right when you need them. In that respect, given the rather hard season I currently find myself, there is this sentiment Catherine shares in Sandwich that so perfectly encapsulates my Summer 2024 experience that it darn near made me weep:

"Despair laced through with so much incredibly beauty. We just keep showing up for each other. Even through the mystery of other people's grief. What else is there?"

A Top 10 read of 2024 for me, without question.