Marrying the Ketchups - A novel

Informationen zum Autor Jennifer Close Klappentext "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"-- Leseprobe CHAPTER 1 The morning of the Women’s March, surrounded by pussy hats and determined women, Gretchen face-planted in the street. It was a fantastic and dramatic fall, the kind people would tell their friends about later. Her jacket caught on one of the metal barricades and (thinking that someone was grabbing her) she screamed, “Help!” and then lurched forward, tripping over the curb and pulling the barricade down on top of her. She landed hard, slamming her hands and knees against the pavement. On the way down, she’d thrown her coffee forward and it landed on the back of a woman’s coat—soft, white, and expensive—and from the ground she called up, “I’m so sorry.” The woman didn’t exactly smile, but she moved her lips in an upward motion and that was something. Any other time, she would’ve yelled at Gretchen, but today wasn’t the day to fight. Today they were all united against the same thing. They were a mob of positive energy. They were trying to prove there was still good in the world and that meant you had to forgive a stranger for ruining your coat. Gretchen tried to apologize again, but the coffee woman was already gone. Her friends pulled the barricade off of her, helped her up, and led her to the side of the street. She rooted around in her bag, hoping there was some sort of Handi Wipe in there, but all she found was a Snickers wrapper. “You really bit it back there,” Billy said, laughing. Gretchen glared at him and he shrugged. “Sorry, but you know I think it’s funny when people fall.” They stood together in one disheveled clump: Nancy’s hair was unbrushed, Billy was wearing a fedora with a neon leopard print, Ben had styled his hair in a faux hawk, and Gretchen had black streaks on her pants from the fall. They were the kind of people you avoided on the subway and the other protestors walking by gave them a wide berth. The coffee woman probably got away as fast as she could. “I’m fine now,” she said to her friends. Her palms and knees burned. “You’re bleeding,” Billy said, pointing to her hands. She wiped her hands on her jeans while Billy, Nancy, and Ben stared at her. They were still on Forty-second and First, hadn’t even made it to the starting point. Pink pussy hats streamed by them; clever signs clipped the tops of their heads. “Are we going to do this?” Ben finally asked. All morning, Nancy claimed she was having a panic attack. She said it again and then added, “I feel like my head is going to fall off my body.” “It’s because you drank too much last night,” Gretchen explained. “That doesn’t mean it’s not happening.” Nancy put her right hand on top of her head to make sure it stayed there. “We could go to a diner,” Billy said. He took out a cigarette and lit it, making no effort to blow the smoke away from Gretchen’s face. The night before, they’d played a show in the Village at a small bar that didn’t pay much but always gave them plenty of free drinks. The crowd was mostly NYU students, which made them drink more than they should’ve. Singing at twenty-year-olds would do that to you. Still. They had to go to the march. They were already there. They’d woken up early and made signs that said Nasty Women Make Herstory and My Pussy Grabs Back. They were ready to resist. But Gretchen’s knee was throbbing, it was chilly outside, and a diner grilled cheese sounded amazing. They stood there, staring at one another, playing a game of lazy chicken and waiting for someone to make a decision. “You’re bleeding,” Billy said again. “And look at all these people. No one is going to miss us.” They ended up walking uptown and away from the crowds, t...

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Jennifer Close
• Editore: Vintage USA
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 25.04.2023
• EAN: 9780593081389
• ISBN: 978-0-593-08138-9
• Pagine: 320
• Dimensioni: 131 mm x 203 mm x 17 mm
• Serie: Vintage Contemporaries
• Categoria: Narrativa > Romanzi