Marrying the Ketchups

by Jennifer Close

A very funny and lighthearted story about a family in my home town of Chicago. Like most Chicagoans they vote for Democrats, they love the Cubs who are lovable losers and their grandfather has the best restaurant in the city. The family’s world changes the year this story takes place when Trump beats Hillary, the Cubs win the world series, and Bud Sullivan dies suddely.

This book is about three generations of Sullivans who live in Chicago. They own a restaurant, JP Sullivans, in Oak Park on the west side of Chicago. (actually Oak Park is a separate town from Chicago, but they are right next to each other and so have merged.} It begins with the death of the patriarch, Bud of the Sullivan family, sadly he has missed the Cubs winning the World Series. The matriarch of the family due to ill health, sadness and age moves to a rehabilitation center.

The next younger generation of Sullivan’s comes together to run the family restaurant. Bud’s son and daughter are in charge. Teddy, Bud’s grandson quits his job at a trendy cocktail bar after his male lover breaks up with him. Broken hearted he gladly takes over as Sullivan’s manager. His cousin Gretchen, who lives in New York City and sings in a 90’s cover band discovers the band’s lead guitarist and her long term boyfriend has been cheating on her with Nancy, the band’s backup singer. With nothing left in New York, she heads back to Chicago. She reluctantly takes a job as a waitress in Sullivan’s and moves into the apartment upstairs. Her older sister Nancy, who lives in Lake Forest, which is an exclusive suburb north of Chicago, with her increasingly distant husband, comes into the Sullivan’s on Wednsdays to do payroll.

The book is a funny and touching slice of life story. The family lives, works, cries and laughs together as they try to find some happiness and meaning in the sudden changes in their lives.