Most of the time, the writing in a book is what makes or breaks it for me -- if a book is poorly written, I'm liable to put it down for good. Sometimes, though, a funny, creative, or just plain entertaining story will make me stick with it, and said story can often make up for most of the flaws in the writing. "More Ketchup Than Salsa" is a good example of this, for me -- while the writing isn't anything to write home about and it can drag in places, it's a surprisingly entertaining and even downright hilarious account of a group of British expats trying to run a bar in the Canary Islands... and the colorful characters they encounter along the way.
Joe Cawley and his girlfriend, Joy, are tired of the cold and damp of their native Great Britain and their careers at the fish market... so when Joe's brother David announces he's bought a bar in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, they see this as their chance for a new life on sunnier shores. Not knowing a lick of Spanish or having the slightest idea on how to run a bar, they make the journey anyhow, only to find themselves in over their heads. As they struggle to clean up the cockroach-infested bar, learn how to actually cook food and mix drinks, and handle over-intoxicated customers and staff, they encounter a host of colorful locals, tourists, lowlifes, and government officials, and learn that life in paradise is far different than they thought... though maybe that isn't entirely a bad thing.
This appears to be Joe's first book, and the writing, to be honest, isn't stellar. The book drags in places and occasionally drifts off the topic at hand, and at times the writing can be fairly bland. But Joe makes up for it with a warm and self-depreciating sense of humor, a keen eye for what makes the characters that populate the island most entertaining, and a description of Tenerife that feels even-handed and realistic -- not glossing over the flaws in the culture and setting, but not magnifying them to grotesque dimensions either.
As an American who's never really understood or gotten into the "expat" life, there were times I felt a bit like an outsider looking in while reading this book. But it's still an entertaining read, and I greatly enjoyed Joe's account of his time in Tenerife. He's certainly lived through some interesting times, and told them with great humor. If you enjoy Bill Bryson or Tony James Slater's humorous travelogues, you'll most likely enjoy "More Ketchup Than Salsa" as well.
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Mr. J. B. Poulton
A joyful read that makes you happy.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2024