Instant NEW YORK TIMES bestseller One of Barnes & Noble BEST BOOKS OF 2024 STYLIST Book of the Month- 'A gem' GUARDIAN Book of the Week- 'Wise and exquisitely written' ANN PATCHETT- 'Sandwich is joy in book form' NINA STIBBE- 'Funny, wise' RACHEL JOYCE- 'A piece of perfection' GRAZIA Book of the month For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family's yearly escape. Their rustic beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, its quirky furniture and mismatched pots and pans greeted like old friends. Now, sandwiched between her children who are adult enough to be fun but still young enough to need her, and her parents who are alive and healthy, Rocky wants to preserve this golden moment forever. This one precious week when everything is in balance; everything is in flux. But every family has its secrets and hers is no exception. With her body in open revolt and surprises invading her peaceful haven, the perfectly balanced seesaw of Rocky's life is tipping towards change... Richard and Judy Book Club selected author for We All Want Impossible Things ____________ Praise for SANDWICH- ' Sandwich is joy in book form . I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry. Catherine Newman does a miraculous job reminding us of all the wonder there is to be found in life' Ann Patchett, author of Tom Lake 'I stand in awe, it's just perfect' Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Swan Song 'If you are after a book to pack on your next holiday, look no further. Here is a novel which will go down as easily as a chilled poolside drink ' i Newspaper ' I adored this novel and am forcing it on everyone I know - Jenny Colgan, author of The Summer Skies 'Newman is truly a master of taking complex and chaotic human emotion and making sense of it' Guardian 'If you want to laugh out loud , tear up and rush to pull out a book in the 35 seconds between subway stops , this sweet, savory, tenderhearted Sandwich fits the bill, and goes down like (bread and) buttah' New York Times 'A wonderful book about how families love, disagree, fail one another - and endure ' Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ' Engaging, frank, funny and moving... in every sense the hot summer read' Daily Mail New York Times bestseller, July 2024

A comic and heartwarming memoir about childhood's second act from Real Simple journalist Catherine Newman. Much is written about a child's infancy and toddler years, which is good since children will never remember it themselves. It is ages 4-14 that make up the second act, as Catherine Newman puts it in this delightfully candid, outlandishly funny new memoir about the years that "your children will remember as childhood." Following Newman's son and daughter as they blossom from preschoolers into teenagers, CATASTROPHIC HAPPINESS is about the bittersweet joy of raising children--and the ever-evolving landscape of issues parents traverse. In a laugh out-loud, heart-wrenching, relatable voice, Newman narrates events as momentous as grief and as quietly moving as the moonlit face of a sleeping child. From tantrums and friendship to fear and even sex, Newman's fresh take will appeal to any parent riding this same roller coaster of laughter and heartbreak.