The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell'Antonia
“A delightful look at sibling relationships and the unbreakable and bonds of family.”
—Real Simple
—∞—
“A charming first novel about family, regrets, and second chances. … An utter delight from start to finish.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“It’s like the comfort-food of novels: warm, memorable, and wholly original.”
—Laura Zigman, author of Separation Anxiety
—∞—
Got a craving for fried chicken and juicy drama? Satisfy it without the calories by reading The Chicken Sisters (G.P. Putnum’s Sons) by KJ Dell’Antonia. The novel features two sisters, Mae and Amanda, who back rival chicken restaurants in Food Wars, a restaurant competition reality show.
Professional organizer Mae Moore returns to Kentucky to help her eccentric mother spruce up Mimi’s, the family chicken stand. She hopes the attention will revive her flagging reality-star career and improve her mother’s financial stability. Her sister Amanda betrayed the family years before by marrying the son of the owners of Frannie’s, a rival chicken restaurant. Since the death of her husband, Amanda and her mother-in-law have struggled to keep Frannie’s afloat. Winning Food Wars would bring in enough money to allow them to franchise the restaurant into solvency.
Through masterful character development, Dell’Antonia balances the dual protagonists, allowing the reader to fall in love with both sisters even when they are at odds with one another. Amanda is the easy-going artistic sister, who lives her life a bit too passively and lacks the self-confidence to follow her dreams. She is jealous of Mae’s togetherness, feels betrayed by her abandonment, and finds her judgemental. On her part, Mae is frustrated by what she sees as Amanda’s weakness for “chicken men” (she’s got a new one on the hook), failure to take charge of her life, and willingness to stay in their podunk little town. Mae is a driven neat freak whose quest for perfection is both admirable and annoying.
A FAMILY HISTORY OF SIBLING RIVALRIES
Like the sisters, the restaurants share a familial rivalry. Mimi’s was started generations before by Amanda and Mae’s ancestor, Mimi, and is currently run by their hoarder mother. It’s a rundown stand with made-from-scratch fried chicken, fresh-cut fries, and homemade pie. Frannie’s was started by Mimi’s sister after they had a falling out. Over the years, Frannie’s evolved into a sit-down restaurant with a bar and a full menu. Though the chicken in both restaurants is delicious, their personalities couldn’t be more at odds.
The behind-the-scenes look at reality-show drama adds a fun element to the novel. The Chicken Sisters is the literary version of a reality show of a reality show. The stress of the cameras and the manipulation of the showrunners bring to light real drama that was already lurking under the surface. Once revealed, the secrets allow the family to work through their problems rather than running away from them. However, at other times the host of Food Wars creates unnecessary, hurtful drama. The story exposes the pitfalls of a world where nothing is private, but also the damage of secret-keeping. The author’s approach to transparency versus privacy is refreshingly nuanced.
The Chicken Sisters is a fun escape into family dysfunction, the restaurant world and reality show drama. It is also a story of healing, self-discovery and community. Those who love family stories, the South and reality shows will find their perfect read in The Chicken Sisters. Fried chicken never sounded so good!
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