

Marrying the Ketchups
Books | Fiction / Literary
3.4
Jennifer Close
An irresistible comedy of manners about three generations of a Chicago restaurant family and the private jokes, ancient grudges, broken hearts, and deep, abiding love that feeds them all. Here are the three things the Sullivan family knows to be true: The Chicago Cubs will always be the underdogs; historical progress is inevitable; and their grandfather, Bud, founder of JP Sullivan's, will always make the best burgers in Oak Park. But when, over the course of three strange months, the Cubs win the World Series, Trump is elected president, and Bud drops dead, everyone in the family finds themselves suddenly doubting all they hold dear. Take, for example: Gretchen, lead singer for a 90s cover band, who has been flirting with fame for a decade, but beginning to wonder if she's too old to be chasing a childish dream. Or Jane, Gretchen's older sister, whose husband has become obsessed with fitness, is suddenly working late, and hiding the screen of his phone. Is he having an affair? Would he be so obvious about it if he were? And Teddy, their steadfast, unfailingly good cousin, is nursing heartbreak and confusion--his boyfriend dumped him but keeps showing up for lunch at JP Sullivan's, where Teddy is the manager. How can any of them be expected to make the right decisions when the world feels sideways--and the bartender at JP Sullivan's makes such strong cocktails? A novel both outrageously funny and perfectly timely, Marrying the Ketchups is a delicious confection by one of our most beloved authors.
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More Details:
Author
Jennifer Close
Pages
320
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published Date
2022-04-26
ISBN
0525658874 9780525658870
Community ReviewsSee all
"Sharp writing, fast and fun read about a motley collection of family members that revolve around the family business, a restaurant. Story is set in the Chicago suburbs at the end of 2016 around the pivotal events of the Cubs winning the series (okay, maybe that one’s only pivotal for Chicago) and the 2016 election. "
"Listened to the audiobook on and off. I was about to stop listening to the book, it felt slow paced and didn’t catch my interest at first, but then things started getting good or at least caught my attention later, so I’m glad I stuck it out.<br/>This one felt like a bird’s eye view of what a potentially modern typical American family relationship looks like, some with similar or different problems for life points such as adulthood, maybe teenage-hood; divorce, cheating, being bullied at school, family squabbles, etc. I wasn’t a fan of any of the characters, maybe Riley for her arrogant confidence but her actions I didn’t completely like either because she’s a teenager. But I appreciated the fact that this book was an example of people justifying or rationalizing their own actions/behavior/choices and we get to see the outcomes/consequences of those decisions. Just people living their lives.<br/><br/>"
"Loved this! I wanted to know more about the characters lives afterward "
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Emily Elmendorf