Wreck by Catherine Newman

WRECK by Catherine Newman continues the story of the wonderful characters readers met in Newman’s bestseller Sandwich. Once again, middle-aged Rocky is dealing with all that life imparts for her family, including husband Nicky, grown children Willa and Jaime, and her newly widowed father who is temporarily living in the in-law apartment in her backyard. As Newman says in her author notes, it is that father who gets “all the funniest lines,” but every character, especially Rocky, contributes to the humor and wisdom that Newman’s story conveys. I love, for example, how Rocky contrasts herself with her husband: “His personality is very cross that bridge when you come to it. Mine is very apply to engineering school in case there's a bridge that might need crossing but it hasn't been designed yet.” By including daily events and an underlying sense of anxiety about mental and physical health as well as some ethical employment issues, Rocky and her family touch all of us in a memorable, relatable way. WRECK is a LibraryReads selection for October and received starred reviews from Kirkus (‘’Newman excels at showing how sorrow and joy coexist in everyday life.”) and Library Journal (“A welcome return …. Here’s hoping for more …”). Highly recommended.