The Turkey Is Not the Only Thing Getting Roasted
A State-by-State Roast of Thanksgiving Chaos Across America
The Turkey is Not the Only Thing Getting Roasted is a lighthearted essay collection that examines how people across the US navigate a notorious annual gathering.
Robert Okine’s wisecracking essay collection The Turkey is Not the Only Thing Getting Roasted concerns the “deliciously dysfunctional” family mayhem of Thanksgiving.
An anecdotal collection that explores how the holiday is celebrated in all fifty states and Washington, DC, the book is made up of dinner scenes in which sundry human quirks are exposed. Each story hinges on a singular moment, including quips, faux pas, and unusual dishes. With minimal setups and accessible punchlines, the stories are amusing for the ways they highlight the ubiquity of weird loved ones: One meal entails “blessings and barely concealed beef,” and social media is used to silly effect, as with a hit TikTok livestream.
Among the book’s repeating topics are friction between new romantic partners and the unprepared elders meeting them; meal traditionalists versus health-food fanatics; and political guests who set “intentions” and clutter the meal with “fussiness” like land acknowledgments, breathwork instructions, and gratitude exercises, even as grumpy grandparents and impatient purists yearn to say a blessing, tuck in, and watch sports.
Its prose barbed, the book mines people’s superficial differences in a sometimes too facile manner. Some regional typecasting is also present: In Connecticut, a wealthy family’s fine fare is met with repressed, austere behavior; in Arkansas, someone brings squirrel stew. The book’s deliberate omissions are more piquing. In Colorado, for example, the presence of a goat is deemed “a long story” and not explained. Still, the text becomes too repetitive as it continues, and its surprises are limited.
Several entries employ boldface type and italics to drive their points home, but these techniques are heavy-handed. Further, many stories begin in the same manner (naming the hosts) and conclude with reiterated ideas. Alliteration is deployed quite often, too: Alabama is crystallized in terms of “hierarchy, history, and hushpuppies.”
Competitiveness about whose cooking is best is an overplayed gag, disliked items are too often called “brave,” and kale makes several cameos as a subject of disdain. The tables themselves hold smorgasbords, whether tempting or ripe for criticism, featuring dry turkey, suspicious casseroles, and store-bought pies. Attendees offend one another by hogging the leftovers while rituals related to food lead to veiled jabs and evince mixed sincerity.
An amusing holiday essay collection, The Turkey Is Not the Only Thing Getting Roasted celebrates the colorful eccentrics who light up Thanksgiving across the fifty states.
Reviewed by
Karen Rigby
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
