... feels like what would happen if you took all of these ingredients and raised the flame beneath them just a bit, acknowledging not only the characters’ tribulations but the devastating changes unfolding in the background of their lives. Close’s choice to set her novel primarily in 2017, just after the election of Donald Trump, has the effect of broadening and deepening the philosophical questions her novel takes on ... This dance between the personal and the political, and the way the latter impacts the former, is the most interesting thematic element ... the trick Close has of taking what might otherwise be an ordinary exchange between ordinary family members and somehow making it riveting. Half of this talent stems from her merry sense of humor — I smiled throughout at various funny observations that also rang true — and the other half stems from the knack she has of inventing story lines that have the feel of extremely good gossip told across a hightop table over a beer with an old friend. Always, I wanted to stay for another, just to hear more ... Something I’ve been thinking about lately, as both a writer and a teacher of writing, is how difficult it is to make everyday events feel fascinating in fiction. Marrying the Ketchups is a good example of a book that performs this magic trick. Recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that propulsiveness is a quality that’s hard to explain and harder still to teach — but if Jennifer Close ever felt like running a course on it, I’d sign up.
... Despite the potentially heavy subject matter, Marrying the Ketchups is an exceedingly funny novel, full of quotable quips and absurd situations ... Bridging the gap between the novel’s dramatic and comedic elements is the novel’s character work. The Sullivans are likable messes. Their tendency for error lends itself to hilarity and their struggles are relatable ... The absurdity at the heart of Marrying the Ketchups isn’t that the world stops when glory or tragedy strikes, it’s that it doesn’t ... maybe the novel that has best captured the way 'Our whole country feels shaky and flammable at the moment,' accomplished by vividly illustrating our last shaky and flammable moment.
... lovingly lived-in ... These three, and indeed all their friends and family, are intensely recognizable characters, funny and flawed, angry and desperate, and much of the novel is dedicated to their engaging development — or lack thereof. The story accelerates in the final section owing partly to an all-too-real scandal surrounding consent, harassment and the internet, particularly acute issues in the sleazy klieg lights of the 45th president ... The conclusion is too neat, perhaps, but the characters acknowledge the privileges that made it possible. And they also realize that just because there are things that can be saved, it's often better to throw it all out and start from scratch.
... lovingly lived-in ... These three, and indeed all their friends and family, are intensely recognizable characters, funny and flawed, angry and desperate, and much of the novel is dedicated to their engaging development — or lack thereof. The story accelerates in the final section owing partly to an all-too-real scandal surrounding consent, harassment and the internet, particularly acute issues in the sleazy klieg lights of the 45th president ... The conclusion is too neat, perhaps, but the characters acknowledge the privileges that made it possible. And they also realize that just because there are things that can be saved, it's often better to throw it all out and start from scratch.
Close drops readers smack into Oak Park, a leafy Chicago suburb, and lets them hear the hiss of fryers hitting hot oil and catch an ice-cold Old Style sliding across the bar ... Close lets each character’s unique personality shine ... Fans of Tracey Lange’s We Are the Brennans (2021) and Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising (2021) will fall in love with these maddening, loving, stubborn relatives. Setting nostalgia against progress, tradition against rebirth, Close outlines the cousins’ grief and personal growth as they work with, and against, one another.
... deftly handles the subjects of family, politics and family politics in a charming and relatable way. Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant will immediately understand the title ... Fans of Close’s previous books as well as novels like Jonathan Tropper’s This is Where I Leave You, will enjoy this family chronicle of life’s ups and downs, which are made all the better when the burdens are shared with loved ones.
Close drops readers smack into Oak Park, a leafy Chicago suburb, and lets them hear the hiss of fryers hitting hot oil and catch an ice-cold Old Style sliding across the bar ... Close lets each character’s unique personality shine ... Fans of Tracey Lange’s We Are the Brennans (2021) and Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising (2021) will fall in love with these maddening, loving, stubborn relatives. Setting nostalgia against progress, tradition against rebirth, Close outlines the cousins’ grief and personal growth as they work with, and against, one another.
... [an] amusing, engaging novel about life, death, and the restorative power of a grilled cheese sandwich ... Their conflicts are familiar, ordinary, the crises of everyday life, but the well-drawn characters always keep you interested in what happens next. Close navigates their entanglements and dissolutions with wry humor: She understands the difficulties and distractions of modern romance. As Jane, Gretchen, and Teddy struggle to find their footing, the close-knit Oak Park neighborhood is changing, too. But is that so terrible? Like marrying the ketchups, a long-standing kitchen task now deemed unsanitary, traditions can adapt to a new world order. Just like the Sullivans ... An entertaining family story with realistic, interesting characters.
... [an] amusing, engaging novel about life, death, and the restorative power of a grilled cheese sandwich ... Their conflicts are familiar, ordinary, the crises of everyday life, but the well-drawn characters always keep you interested in what happens next. Close navigates their entanglements and dissolutions with wry humor: She understands the difficulties and distractions of modern romance. As Jane, Gretchen, and Teddy struggle to find their footing, the close-knit Oak Park neighborhood is changing, too. But is that so terrible? Like marrying the ketchups, a long-standing kitchen task now deemed unsanitary, traditions can adapt to a new world order. Just like the Sullivans ... An entertaining family story with realistic, interesting characters.
... humdrum ... In the place of plot are the characters’ tribulations, played out in placid, heavily detailed chapters, as when Gretchen abandons hope of rock stardom and comes home, Teddy assesses his love life, and Jane reevaluates her marriage. It’s rough going, but Close manages to evoke the durable power of family.
