Sandwich

What makes it funny?

Rocky puts a numerical range on how much her husband understands her: somewhere from a fifth to less than two-thirds. Even napping and opening yogurt can feel physically hazardous. Readers in book groups single out the family banter and descriptions, especially when Rocky's midlife frustrations resemble their own.

The comedy at work

Rocky's narration follows affectionate thoughts about her family into complaints about her body and the people she loves. Newman lets everyday irritation sit beside the fear of losing those people. The author has described Rocky's challenge as accepting how different other people are from herself.

Try this if…

Frank family comedy with room for sorrow is the draw here. Readers with young-adult children, or who are going through menopause, particularly recognize Rocky's predicament. Expect a close view of marriage and motherhood through one anxious, loving woman's perspective.

Good to know

Readers flag miscarriage, abortion and other difficult reproductive experiences throughout the story. One reader found it crude enough to nearly stop. The later novel Wreck returns to Rocky two years afterward; readers say it can stand alone, though Sandwich comes first.