Kitchens of the Great Midwest

In Kitchens of the Great Midwest, family dynamics serve as a central theme, woven throughout the narrative. The novel delves into the complexities, conflicts, and enduring bonds within families, and it suggests that traditional nuclear forms of family can break apart, but family can be defined for oneself.

Eva Thorvald serves as the figure through which the Thorvald family and its interconnected branches are explored. Raised initially by her father, Lars Thorvald, Eva becomes an orphan after her mother abandons her and her father passes away from a heart attack. Adopted by Lars’s uncle, Eva grows up with an uncertain understanding of her true parentage. Lars, a devoted chef, nurtures a unique father-daughter bond with Eva, sharing his passion for food and the culinary arts. The culinary roots inherited from her parents, who were a sommelier and chef, respectively, become a significant means for Eva to connect with her familial past, bridging the emotional gap left by her absent mother and father. Stradal explores how the memory of a loved one can continue to influence family dynamics, shaping the characters’ identities and relationships long after they are gone. Eva defines her own sense of family through her memories and the bonds with those left in her life.

The novel also introduces other families, each with its own set of conflicts and challenges. The Dragelski family, particularly Braque and her mother, demonstrates the impact of generational differences. Braque’s ambition to excel as both a professional athlete and a scholar at university stems from her determination to avoid following in the footsteps of her unemployed mother. Stradal highlights Braque’s yearning for approval and her quest for autonomy to reshape the trajectory of the Dragelski family. Braque bonds with her cousin Eva and creates a new sense of family for herself.

The Sunday dinner party group that Eva and Octavia establish further emphasizes the diverse nature of family dynamics. Comprising individuals from different backgrounds and walks of life, this chosen family reflects the novel’s exploration of how connections are not solely bound by blood. The dynamics within this group are marked by support, understanding, and shared enjoyment of food. Through these characters, Stradal illustrates the capacity of individuals to form meaningful familial connections outside traditional family structures.

The Prager family is a recurring presence in the narrative, initially through Will Prager, who disapproves of his father’s swift remarriage after his mother’s tragic death. Pat Prager, introduced later in the story, wholeheartedly dedicates herself to the new family, adopting the children as her own. In the face of their negativity, she sees it as her role “to serve them and make them happy, the way even an unwatered tree still provides whatever shade it can” (279). This metaphor underscores her maternal role of sacrificing her well-being for the benefit of her children, a commitment evident later in the chapter as she resolves to shoulder the blame for carrying marijuana from her son when they are stopped by the police. This blended family is formed through marriage, highlighting another example of defining family for oneself after one breaks apart through death or divorce.