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A review by jesssalexander
Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I just did not love this. It was mildly funny, which was the reason I kept up with it. The gist of it is this: a close knit family in Chicago begins to unravel when the patriarch that held them together passes away. Everything centers around the family restaurant and the Cubs winning the World Series. You mostly follow the perspectives of the three cousins. Teddy is a gay man trying to break free from a toxic relationship with his horrible ex and trying his best to be a good person and to help raise the tumultuous teenage half-sister that got dumped in his lap. Gretchen is belatedly trying to grow up after spending all of her adult life thus far in a 90s cover band in NYC with a loser of a boyfriend and develops a sense of responsibility and initiative for the first time. Jane is divorcing her husband and trying to raise two kids on her own and be a less passive person. I think Gretchen was my favorite, followed by Teddy. Everyone is jaded with how their lives have turned out at some point and there are a ton of side characters that aren’t family members that were a little tough to keep up with.
Something obnoxious about this book is that literally every other paragraph is peppered with political stuff. A huge part of the setting is Trump’s first term in office and his election (especially for Jane) is apparently just as devastating and deserving of grief as the death of her grandfather. All the characters are very liberal and worried about global warming and misogyny and love it when toddlers say things like “there is no such thing as boy and girl colors”. It’s just really extreme. The characters put all their hope and identity— literally all of it— in their government and political beliefs. I’m just glad the narrative stopped before 2020 so I didn’t have to read another book about the quarantine experience.
Something obnoxious about this book is that literally every other paragraph is peppered with political stuff. A huge part of the setting is Trump’s first term in office and his election (especially for Jane) is apparently just as devastating and deserving of grief as the death of her grandfather. All the characters are very liberal and worried about global warming and misogyny and love it when toddlers say things like “there is no such thing as boy and girl colors”. It’s just really extreme. The characters put all their hope and identity— literally all of it— in their government and political beliefs. I’m just glad the narrative stopped before 2020 so I didn’t have to read another book about the quarantine experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault