The Chicken Sisters

Mae Moore, the second protagonist, serves as a foil to both her sister and mother. As a social media influencer and author dedicated to decluttering spaces and staying organized, Mae leaves Kansas and moves to New York City after she finishes college in Texas. As a cohost of Sparkling, a reality show dedicated to helping its viewers maintain clean and organized homes, Mae’s entire life revolves around keeping a pristine image and reputation. Having grown up with Barbara’s hoarding tendencies, Mae feels ashamed about her childhood and hometown, which is emphasized in her decision to lie to her husband, Jay, about both. Mae’s lie stems from her need “for the world to stay nice and safe and solid” around her and her family (41). Due to her experiences as a child, including the threat of being taken away from Barbara due to hoarding, Mae obsessively cleans her home in New York City and attempts to keep it as clutter-free as possible. However, this causes strife between her and Jay, because she throws away his childhood baseball glove. Mae’s inability to see why Jay has a sentimental attachment to the glove illustrates her decision to close herself off from anything that reminds her of her own family and hometown.

As the novel progresses, Mae learns how to not shy away from the less-pleasing aspects of her family, such as her mother’s house. After learning about Barbara’s diagnosis of early Parkinson’s disease, Mae realizes that despite her family’s struggles with each other, they can depend on each other. During the experience on Food Wars, Mae realizes her priorities of trying to maintain a large presence on social media and within the reality television sphere do not provide her with as much satisfaction as maintaining relationships with her family. She tells Jay that she wants “a different kind of simple now” that does not include simplifying their material items but their life outside of New York City (284). Like Amanda, Mae is a dynamic character who develops from a stoic, type-A mindset to being more laid-back and empathetic toward those around her. She allows her family, including Jay and Barbara, to be themselves without wanting them to conform to versions that she believes will be more outwardly presentable to society. Rather, Mae finally allows herself and her family to be imperfect.

Barbara Moore, the owner and operator of Mimi’s, is Amanda’s and Mae’s mother. She raises the two girls on her own without the help from their father; she claims that “Some people you’re just better off without” when the girls ask why they do not have a dad (78). Although Barbara undergoes some character development, she mainly serves as a static character because of her already developed characteristics, such as her commitment to her family and her business. The novel slowly reveals details about her character that add dimension to her, but these details exist prior to the contents of the novel. When Gary, Amanda’s and Mae’s father, sees their house, the narrator says, “Barbara Moore’s house might have been a mess, but she herself was not” (81). This sentence refers to her ability to not only care for herself but also her children; the narrative implies that despite Barbara’s hoarding tendencies, she has the ability to provide for her family without the help of anyone else. For example, when she fears losing her children due to her house, she immediately cleans up, indicating her perseverance and dedication to her family. This also presents itself with her decision to not sell her house or the restaurant despite struggling to keep the business open financially.

Barbara’s character is depicted as a loving mother and woman despite her hard exterior. When Barbara refuses to allow Amanda into Mimi’s after her wedding, the action appears to contradict her dedication to her family, but the narrator indicates she “gently barred the way” in front of the door (51). By utilizing the word “gently,” the term implies both a hesitancy to stop Amanda from entering and a caring demeanor toward her. In this moment, Barbara seems to be battling her love for her daughter and her dedication to her family’s business. Toward the end of the novel, Barbara’s stoicism begins to soften when she reveals that she has symptoms of early Parkinson’s disease, which causes her to “[sniffle], loud and hard […] and [wipe] angrily at her face” (236). Here, Barbara illustrates the difficulties of trying to navigate her illness while running Mimi’s. Another time Barbara uncovers her gentle countenance occurs when she fears that she could lose her puppies. When she tells Mae to “[call] Sabrina and tell her I take good care of Patches and that none of this has anything to do with Mimi’s” (216), Barbara’s deliberate comment makes it clear that her she not only wants to take good care of her dogs, but she also aims to take care of her business. Barbara’s response to Sabrina filming her home indicates the complexity of her character despite the mental and physical health struggles she endures.