Newman’s latest midlife novel is a follow up to Sandwich. While Sandwich took place over the course of a week at fifty-something Rocky’s Cape Cod beach house, this story unfolds over a longer time frame and is set two years later at her home in Western Massachusetts. At the beginning of the story, a twenty-something man Rocky’s kids know is killed in a train wreck in town, and it sets her family and the wider community reeling—contemplating chance, corporate responsibility, and mortality. Meanwhile, Rocky starts experiencing weird medical symptoms and it turns out there are no easy answers about why she’s experiencing them. In the midst of medical uncertainty and grief, she’s trying to take care of her husband, adult children, and her father the best she can, while she works her job as a food writer from home. And then much of the book encompasses the planning and enjoyment of the family’s Thanksgiving feast—the pages are brimming with discussions of how to spatchcock a turkey, brining vs. dry salting, and how many pecan pies to make for the holiday. All the yummy food descriptions made me wish I could join them at the table. (This can absolutely be read as a standalone, but if you suspect you’re going to read Sandwich anyway, I’d nudge you to read that one first.) More info →
