Family secrets always come out at the strangest moments. “The Family Upstairs” from Lisa Jewell is an exciting book that shows this truth with shocking results. In this psychological thriller, memorable characters link the past and the present in dark, surprising ways in their own lives.
Characters from the family upstairs form a mystery covering decades. A young woman gets a house that she never knew existed, while some damaged survivors experienced what was a cult-like tragedy. People involved each hold bigger puzzle pieces. The story moves along between different points in time. One family’s collapse affected everyone near them, as the story shows this effect.
You will come to understand each character’s role as well as their connection to the main story by means of this guide. Get ready to encounter some of literature’s most broke,n complex people.
Main Characters Who Drive the Story
Three main voices tell this story, each bringing their own secrets and lies to the surface.
Libby Jones: The Inheritance Recipient
Libby starts the story as a regular 25-year-old who gets shocking news. A lawyer tells her she’s inherited a mansion in London from people she’s never heard of. Her whole life changes when she learns this inheritance connects to her birth family.
As an adopted child, Libby never knew much about where she came from. The house becomes her way to learn about her real family’s dark past. She represents the reader’s point of view, asking questions and trying to make sense of what she finds.
The family upstairs’s characters all connect to Libby in ways she slowly learns about. She becomes the bridge between past and present, helping readers understand how everything fits together.
Henry Lamb: The Troubled Brother
Henry tells the story of what happened in the house during the 1990s. As a teenager, he watched his family fall apart when strangers moved into their home. His memories shape much of what readers learn about the past.
But Henry isn’t always honest about what really happened. He has his own reasons for telling the story his way. Some things he shares are true, while others might be lies or half-truths that make him look better.
Henry was supposed to inherit his father’s money, but everything went wrong when his family lost control of their lives. His anger and pain color everything he remembers about those terrible years.
Lucy Smith/Lucy Aman Lamb: The Mother Figure
Lucy performs on the streets of Nice, France, trying to forget her past in London. She has children with her, but she’s running from secrets that could destroy her new life. Her story slowly reveals who she really is.
She holds the biggest secret of all: she’s Libby’s birth mother. Lucy was there when the Lamb family fell apart, and she knows exactly what happened to everyone. Her chapters show a different side of the story than Henry’s version.
Lucy’s real name was Lucy Aman Lamb, and she was part of the original family tragedy. Now she’s Lucy Smith, trying to build a new life far from the house that holds so many bad memories.
The Original Lamb Family
The Lamb family lived in wealth and comfort before everything went wrong.
Henry and Martina Lamb Sr.
Henry and Martina Lamb owned a beautiful house in Chelsea and had plenty of money. They seemed to have perfect lives until they made the mistake of letting strangers live with them. Their kindness became their weakness when manipulative people took control.
The parents lost their power in their own home as cult-like leaders moved in and changed all the rules. Henry Sr. and Martina couldn’t protect their children from what was happening. They became prisoners in their own house.
Their deaths marked the end of the original family and left their children to face the world alone. The family upstairs’s characters all carry the weight of what happened to Henry and Martina, and their tragedy affects everyone who comes after.
Serenity Love Lamb
This was Libby’s original name before she was adopted and became Libby Jones. Serenity Love represents the innocent child who was born into chaos and tragedy. She was too young to remember what happened in the house.
The name shows how the family tried to find peace and love even when their world was falling apart. But Serenity Love couldn’t stay in that house, and she had to be given away to keep her safe.
The Cult-Like Figures Who Changed Everything
The people who moved into the Lamb house brought destruction with them.
David Thomsen and His Children
David Thomsen was a master manipulator who convinced the Lamb parents to let him and his family live in their house. He slowly took control of everything, making new rules and changing how the household worked. His charm hid his true nature.
His children, Phin and Clemency, were caught between their father’s control and the strange new life in the Lamb house. They learned to live without modern comforts and follow their father’s strict rules about everything.
David created a world where he had all the power and everyone else had to obey him. His self-sufficient lifestyle became a prison for everyone in the house, including his own children.
Birdie Dunlop-Evers
Birdie was once part of a popular music group, but she gave up her career to follow David Thomsen. She became his partner and helped him control the household. Her past in the music industry made her seem glamorous, but she was just as trapped as everyone else.
She played an important role in the daily life of the house, helping David maintain his control over the Lamb family. Birdie also had a relationship with Justin Redding, which added another layer to the complex household dynamics.
Her choices helped shape what happened to all the family upstairs characters, and her actions had lasting effects on the children who survived.
Supporting Characters Across Time Periods
Many other people help tell this story and support the main characters through their struggles.
- Mr. Royle: The solicitor who contacts Libby about her inheritance and helps her understand her legal rights to the house
- April: Libby’s best friend, who provides emotional support as Libby learns shocking truths about her family
- Miller Ro: An investigative journalist who becomes involved in uncovering the family’s secrets
- Marco and Stella: Lucy’s current partner and daughter in France, representing her new life away from London.n
- Giuseppe and Monsieur Vincent: Lucy’s friends in Ni, who help her survive as a street performer
These supporting characters help readers understand how the main story affects people in the present day. They show that the family upstairs characters still have connections and relationships, even after everything that happened in the past.
How Character Relationships Drive the Mystery
Each person in this story knows different pieces of the truth, and readers have to put it all together. The connections between past and present characters create the mystery that keeps pages turning. Everyone has secrets that slowly come to light.
Henry’s chapters about the past can’t always be trusted because he has reasons to lie or change the facts. His pain and anger make him an unreliable narrator who might not tell the whole truth about what really happened in the house.
Lucy’s story provides another view of the same events, but she also has her own reasons for keeping secrets. The truth emerges when readers compare what different characters say and notice where their stories don’t match up.
Conclusion
The characters in The Family Upstairs do help to create one of the truly finest psychological thrillers lately. Lisa Jewell carefully creates each person, for she gives them real reasons for actions along with believable problems. The story matters for the hurt survivors, the unsuspecting new owner, and the strange cult members.
Family secrets affect more than one generation. This book depicts the impact of the past. Today can be affected surprisingly. Each character carries on from what happened within that house. Separate stories join up to make something that is powerful.
“The Family Remains” is recommended in case these complicated characters appealed to you. This sequel book continues the stories, so new people appear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Henry’s Accounts of Past Events Reliable?
Henry often changes the truth to make himself look better. His anger and pain make him an unreliable narrator who might lie about important events.
What Happened to Phin After the Family Disappeared?
Phin’s current location remains a mystery that connects to questions about Libby’s father. His story continues in the second book.
How Does Lisa Jewell Handle Multiple Time Periods in Character Development?
Jewell keeps characters consistent across different timelines while using shifting perspectives to keep readers engaged and guessing.
Which Characters Appear in Both Family Upstairs Books?
Most main characters continue their stories in the sequel, while new people are introduced to expand the mystery further.
What Makes the Lamb Family House So Central to Character Development?
The house acts like a character itself, shaping how people change and representing the family’s broken dynamics through its physical presence.
