In some light, this a sandy-toed frolic of a family’s week at the beach; in others, it’s a turbulent accounting of the family’s lifetime of joys and sorrows. Anyone with a family beach tradition will relate. Actually, anyone with a family will relate. Newman deftly sandwiches comedy and tragedy between the sweet pastels of the book’s summery covers. A deceptively powerful book!
Sandwich by Catherine Newman, (List Price: $26.99, Harper, 9780063345164, June 2024)
Reviewed by Frank Reiss, A Cappella Books in Atlanta, Georgia