The River Is Waiting (Oprah's Book Club)

From the author of We All Want Impossible Things comes Sandwich, a sharply observed and deeply funny novel about midlife, family secrets, and the exquisite agony of letting go.

Rocky and Nick are in the thick of it. Navigating the complexities of middle age, they're sandwiched between caring for their aging parents and launching their young adult children into the world. When a summer vacation brings everyone together, simmering tensions rise to the surface. Secrets are revealed, long-held resentments bubble over, and the ever-shifting dynamics of family are laid bare.

With her signature wit and warmth, Catherine Newman explores the messy, beautiful, and achingly familiar terrain of modern family life. Sandwich is a poignant reminder that even amidst the chaos, love, in all its imperfect forms, still binds us together. Prepare to laugh, cry, and recognize yourself in this utterly relatable story of a family learning to navigate the ever-changing landscape of life.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • #1 AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR 2025 An ENTHRALLING new novel from the NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves "A WILDLY TALENTED writer." ―Emily St. John Mandel “SPELLBINDING...Exceptionally imagined, thoroughly humane.” — Washington Post “Abounds with EVOCATIVE nature writing.” — The New York Times Book Review A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon. Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore. Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together. A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later. Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

In Shaker Heights, Ohio, life is meticulously planned, a testament to its progressive ideals and the embodiment of Elena Richardson's unwavering adherence to the rules. But the carefully constructed facade of this idyllic suburb is threatened by the arrival of Mia Warren, an enigmatic artist and single mother, and her daughter, Pearl.

When Mia and Pearl rent a house from the Richardsons, their presence ignites a spark that draws the Richardson children into their orbit, disrupting the family's carefully maintained equilibrium. Mia's mysterious past and unconventional ways challenge the very foundations of Shaker Heights, exposing hidden tensions and long-held secrets.

As a custody battle over a Chinese-American baby divides the town, Elena's suspicion of Mia intensifies, leading her on a quest to uncover the truth about Mia's past. But Elena's relentless pursuit threatens to unravel her own life, with devastating consequences for herself and her family.

Little Fires Everywhere is a gripping exploration of identity, motherhood, and the explosive power of secrets. It delves into the complexities of belonging and the destructive potential of rigid expectations, asking whether playing by the rules can truly prevent disaster.