The Family Remains

Lucy Lamb is Henry’s 40-year-old sister. She carries herself with elegance and is naturally beautiful, but doesn’t spend much time or money on her appearance. Lucy is Michael Rimmer’s ex-wife, and mother to Libby, Marco, and Stella. Lucy recently inherited money from the sale of the house on Cheyne Walk, but she is embarrassed by her newfound wealth. She has faced housing insecurity since leaving the house at age 14, moving from place to place and sometimes living on the street. She played violin on the street to make money for the past several years, up until a year ago, when she, Marco, and Stella moved in with Henry. Now that Lucy has money, she wants to use it to buy a home of her own, and makes an offer on a fixer-upper near Libby’s residence. After living in Henry’s pristine apartment, she relishes the chance to have her own place where she and her children can spread out without worrying about ruining the furniture or aesthetic. It will be the first home she’s had since childhood, and the thought of a fresh start excites her.

Lucy loves and appreciates her brother, Henry, despite his dark side. She worries about what he might do if he finds Phin, and this compels her to go to Chicago with Marco and Stella to find Henry. Lucy also experiences anxiety about killing Michael a year ago. She knows the French police are looking for her, so when the British police start digging into Birdie’s connection to the Lamb family, Lucy worries they may also discover that she killed Michael a year ago in Antibes. Lucy was abused by Michael when they were married, and when she went to him to retrieve her and the children’s passports after they were divorced, he raped her. Lucy killed him in self-defense and has been hiding from the police ever since. At the end of the novel, Lucy gets the fresh start she is hoping for: French police close Michael’s case, so she can move into her new home with her children without fear.

Lucy, like Henry, went through intense trauma as a child, groomed to have sex with 46-year-old con man David Thomsen when she was only 13. Lucy also had sex with David’s son, Phin, giving birth to Libby at only 14. Nevertheless, Lucy emerges from these traumas and trials a caring mother. Although she killed Michael, she is more mentally stable than Henry and on a path toward a better life.

Rachel is a 32-year-old jewelry designer living in London, where she struggles to get her business off the ground. Rachel is bankrolled by her father, Brian, with whom she has a close relationship. Brian is highly encouraging and supportive. At the novel’s beginning, Rachel is frustrated with her life. She isn’t in a committed relationship, but dates and sleeps around casually. She is embarrassed by her financial dependence on her father, especially when she compares herself to her friend Paige, who is almost 10 years younger but financially wise and independent. Rachel meets Michael when she is in this insecure, lonely state, and thinks that dating him will be another casual fling in a line of many.

Rachel’s relationship with Michael is transformative. She undergoes a roller coaster of emotions toward him, including love, fear, uncertainty, and anger. During their rocky marriage, Rachel tries to make things work between them and to overlook his flaws, but leaves for good when he rapes her. Rachel shows her strength by taking immediate action after this sexual assault: She contacts a lawyer and talks to her dad about divorce. The rape forces Rachel to see Michael’s true colors; she made excuses for his previous behavior, but she can no longer ignore the truth that he is abusive and dangerous. Even though Rachel separates from Michael, she does not tell anyone about the rape. She blames herself for not seeing the warning signs, and compares herself to other women, thinking that they would not have ended up in her situation. Rachel’s shame makes her feel alone; she seeks out Lucy, Michael’s ex-wife, who was also abused by Michael.

Rachel’s split from Michael happens at the same time that her business starts to succeed. Professional achievement boosts her strength and self-confidence. When Rachel learns that Michael is blackmailing her father, she confronts Michael with bravery and tenacity. Later, she does what she can to protect Lucy after Lucy kills Michael. Over the course of the novel, Rachel sheds her insecure dependence and gains confident self-assurance. Although she undergoes trauma in her relationship with Michael, she takes steps toward healing and embracing a better version of herself.

Samuel is the lead detective on Birdie’s murder case. He is calm, clearheaded, and excellent at reading people. For example, in his first interview with Libby, he uses observations of Libby’s body language to know when she is lying. Samuel also notices minor details: that Libby doesn’t look like Mr. and Mrs. Lamb, her supposed birth parents, and that Libby’s given name, Serenity, does not fit with the styles of names of the other Lamb children. Samuel’s intelligent and observant nature make him an outstanding detective, and his character acts as a guide for the reader, summarizing clues, making connections between them, and asking the questions the reader wants answered.

Samuel isn’t married, nor does he have any children. His job is the focus of his life. He allows Birdie’s murder case to fill his thoughts even when he is off the clock, and he is genuinely dedicated to uncovering the truth. He encounters many people over the course of the case, and sympathizes with each of them. He wants to find out the truth of what happened to Birdie for her brother, Philip. He exhibits compassion for Lucy Lamb and the trauma she underwent as a child. He is disappointed to hear about Justin Redding’s suicide, having noted firsthand that guilt about the past weighed on Justin. Although Samuel has a responsibility to hold criminals responsible for their actions, he sympathizes with the Lamb children. Eventually, because of lack of evidence, even though he knows that Henry is lying about Justin killing Birdie, Samuel is willing to close the case and let Henry go because of Birdie’s evil nature and Justin’s admission of guilt.

Michael is in his 40s when he meets first meets Rachel in Martha’s Vineyard. He is witty, charming, and handsome, but Rachel notices a cruelty in his face as well. He seems wealthy and claims to own several residences, one of which is in Antibes, France. Rachel quickly falls in love with Michael, and although she learns a little about his sketchy business dealings, she brushes aside this and other red flags. As time passes, Michael gradually shows his true nature, one of coercive control. He loses his money and makes Rachel pay for everything, exhibits violent tendencies, and never takes responsibilities for issues in their relationship. He gaslights Rachel, masterfully making everything seem like it’s her fault. Their relationship takes a turn for the worse on their honeymoon when Michael overreacts angrily to Rachel’s sexual suggestions. Michael rapes Rachel, blaming her for the assault. He also shows sociopathic tendencies, acting like everything is fine between them when they see each other on later occasions. Rachel’s growth as a person relies on breaking away from Michael’s control and abuse.

Michael also connects Rachel with Lucy, his ex-wife who also experienced abuse at Michael’s hands. When Lucy kills Michael in 2018, her actions feel more like justice than murder.

Libby Jones, born as Serenity Lamb, is the daughter of Lucy Lamb and Phineas Thomsen. She was found alone in the house at Cheyne Walk as a baby, along with the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Lamb and David Thomsen. Libby was adopted and only recently met her birth mother, Lucy, in 2018, when Libby was 25 years old. She has blond hair, blue eyes, and freckles, and is dating Miller Roe, a journalist who wrote an article about the house at Cheyne Walk. Libby inherited the house and sold it for a large sum, which she split with her birth mother, Lucy and her uncle, Henry—a fact she lies about to Detective Samuel Owusu’s questions to protect Lucy and Henry.

While Libby is a main character in The Family Upstairs, she remains mostly in the background in The Family Remains. Her character serves to provide some information about the past and to heighten tension in the novel as she worries about what secrets detectives may uncover about the Lambs.

Phin is the object of Henry’s obsession. They grew up together in the Cheyne Walk house after Phin’s father, David Thomsen, moved in with the Lamb family. Now, in 2019, Phin is tall and blond with a beard and a tanned, lined face. Since leaving the Cheyne Walk house, Phin worked in Botswana as a safari guide, but is now in Chicago. Henry believes that Phin holds the answers and fulfillment he is looking for, so he is surprised to find that Phin is floundering in life just like Henry is. Phin felt less brave or self-assured than Henry when they were young. Now, as an adult, he is searching for meaning and terrorized by his childhood trauma. Because of this, Phin is afraid to see Lucy again and to meet his daughter, Libby. After a heartfelt conversation with Henry, in which Phin unloads the oppressive thoughts that have haunted him, Henry convinces him to visit Lucy and Libby, which Phin does at the novel’s conclusion. Henry’s obsession with Phin shows that putting someone from the past on an impossibly high pedestal is a mistake: Phin isn’t the perfect man Henry has always pictured. Phin is human, facing many of the same struggles as Henry.

Birdie, also known as Bridget, was the violin player in the band Original Version. The novel begins with the discovery of Birdie’s remains in the River Thames 25 year after her murder. Before her death, Birdie was on poor terms with her family, and was only reported missing because of a deathbed request made by Birdie’s sister. Birdie moved into the house on Cheyne Walk in the late 1980s after their band filmed a music video there. Birdie brought the con man David Thomsen into the house in the guise of his being a healer for Mr. Lamb, who was ill. Birdie became obsessed with David and groomed Lucy to have sex with him because she wanted a child. Birdie was evil and depraved, and treated all the children in the house with cruelty. As Samuel tries to find who was responsible for Birdie’s death, Jewell invites readers to question whether a monster like Birdie deserves justice.

Justin was Birdie’s boyfriend in the band Original Version and tended the garden at Cheyne Walk, where he lived for a time. He left when things in the house were particularly bad, and has felt guilty about leaving the children behind ever since. In 2019, he works as a gardener and lives in a camper van. Justin has several tattoos and piercings, and his hair is long. Samuel notes that Justin’s eyes are “the saddest I have ever seen” (279). Justin struggled with addiction for several years and spent some time in jail. Presumably, Justin’s guilt over leaving Cheyne Walk without helping the Lamb and Thomsen children contributed to his struggles.

Samuel’s interview with Justin helps fill in details of what happened in the past at the house on Cheyne Walk, both for Samuel and for readers who haven’t read the first novel in the series, The Family Upstairs. When Justin dies by suicide and leaves a note, he takes the blame for Birdie’s murder. He also defends Henry, suggesting that Justin and Henry were close friends while Justin lived at the house. Justin’s confession, although untrue, allows Henry to avoid being charged with Birdie’s murder.