Marrying the Ketchups – Jennifer Close
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: For decades the Sullivan family has rallied around its namesake restaurant in Chicago’s Oak Park neighborhood. However events outside of their control — both positive and negative — will push the next generation of Sullvians to determine if they want their legacy tied to the family business.
Expectation: A family drama infused with Chicagoland ethos (think part “Happy Endings”/part “Shameless”).
Reality: Funnier and more thought provoking than anticipated, I was absolutely engrossed by the story and felt seen in the pages.
Recommended For: Fans of J. Ryan Stradal and Midwest-set stories.
Why I Read It: Several Bookstagram friends raved about it.
My Take:
Within the first 20 minutes of listening to Jennifer Close’s “Marrying the Ketchups,” I could tell I was going to love the novel. It perfectly captured the ethos of Chicago, the blessing and curse of family traditions and the general malaise of life in late-2016.
I felt seen throughout the pages even though I have no experience working in a restaurant and moved from Chicagoland 22 years ago. It made me laugh out loud, shed a few tears, and think about how the journey of the three main characters, Gretchen, Teddy and Jane, mirrored my own. I haven’t read anything that speaks to the anxieties and struggles of elder Millennials in a way that felt this organic.
It’s the type of novel that will connect with people in different ways. Those with restaurant experience will appreciate the front of house and back of house dynamics (also the meaning of the book’s title), while those with family business experience will feel seen in the ever-shifting alliances and frustrations that simmer over.
Personally, I loved how richly Close developed Gretchen, Teddy and Jane. Each felt like a real person. Yes, they have mostly white people problems (WPPs), but even when not making great choices they never felt unlikable because you understood their motivations. It’s the exact opposite of the abysmal “We Are the Brennans.”
I related to Gretchen’s quest to find her passion. I found Jane’s “is this it?” crisis about adulthood to be on the nose. And, Teddy, the only openly gay member of the family, manifested many of my own obsessive quirks framed around ensuring you stay in favor.
Rarely in multiple POV stories do I find each narrative to be compelling, but I did here. So why not five-stars? As the story progressed, Close started to bring forward the perspectives of the extended family and it felt a little like a distraction. Outside of Riley, the teenage half-sister of Teddy, most of these cut-ins felt like an afterthought.
In addition to the strong characters, the success in Close’s storytelling is the heavy dose of nostalgia she infuses into the pages and the way she explains what makes you feel at home. For the characters in “Ketchups” that’s JP Sullivan’s the family’s restaurant founded by their grandfather, Bud.
We all know a JP Sullivan’s — those long in the tooth restaurants with yellowed periodical write-ups adorning the walls exalting its heyday that is, at minimum, usually a decade prior. You could walk in 20 years after your last visit and the décor would be the same — as will the menu and some of the wait staff – and that’s exactly what you need.
These restaurants provide a memory for who you were and where you came from. In every city we live, I love to find its JP Sullivan’s, because even though I now live hundreds of miles from where I grew up, upon entering these restaurants I feel at home. I don’t know how she did it, but Close captured that feeling.
Finally, Cassandra Campbell did a decent job narrating the audiobook. She was recently featured in “Christodora,” voicing a character I loathed, so it took me some time to disconnect her performance here from that one. Regardless of how you decide to read “Ketchups,” it will be worth the time.
A brief rant
For as enjoyable as this novel is, I am absolutely shocked at the hate piled upon it on Goodreads for one simple reason: politics.
Scroll through the one and two-star reviews, and you’ll see a lot of coded language that boils down to the fact that many readers were turned off by Close’s repeated mention of the 2016 election and its aftermath, specifically for a liberal-leaning family.
I get it, people read to escape, and there’s dissonance in expecting to be entertained but instead feel challenged or judged. However, whether you agree with Close’s politics or not, keep these things in mind: 1) You couldn’t write about late-2016 without discussing the election. IT IS ALL WE TALKED ABOUT; 2) I think some elements of the political talk are meant to be satirical given hindsight; and 3) Reading is the best way to be exposed to ideas other than your own.
Listen, I read a lot of things I don’t agree with. Books that make me cringe. Books that make me angry. Books that make me feel guilty for the privileges I’ve been afforded. But you know what? I take a lesson away from all of them that hopefully makes me a more compassionate human. Getting worked up over an entertaining, yet entirely inconsequential, work of fiction shows just how far we’ve fallen as a society.
Politics is triggering for a lot of people, so consider this your warning, but if you opt not to read “Ketchups” because the characters wear pussy hats and openly discuss their fears about a Donald Trump presidency, know that you are denying yourself a rich and satisfying family drama.
Rating (story): 4.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 4/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: August 23 – August 27, 2022
Multi-tasking: Good to go. Close writes with an accessible and real style that feels conversational. It’s a great book to listen to while exercising or cleaning.
