The Family Remains Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Lisa Jewell's Thriller Sequel

The Family Remains Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Lisa Jewell's Thriller Sequel 20 questions covering plot, character, theme, and synthesis. Answers and explanations are at the end. Good luck! ### Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8) 1. What does mudlarking guide Jason Mott find on the Thames foreshore in the prologue? - A) A stolen wallet - B) A black bin bag containing human bones - C) A vintage music box - D) A dead cat 2. In Chapter One, what news does Detective Avril Loubet deliver to Rachel Rimmer? - A) Her husband has been arrested for fraud - B) Her husband has been found dead in the basement of his Antibes house - C) Her husband has disappeared - D) Her husband has been in a car accident 3. What does Henry Lamb do after learning Phin has left Botswana? - A) He books a safari to Africa - B) He flies to Chicago instead of Botswana - C) He calls the police - D) He stays in London and waits 4. What clue leads Henry to Chicago in the first place? - A) A Tripadvisor review mentioning Finn's family in Chicago - B) A letter from Phin - C) A photo on a safari website - D) A phone call from Clemency 5. What does Rachel find in Michael's study when she breaks into his Antibes house? - A) A stack of love letters - B) A handgun and financial documents - C) A diary - D) A map of London 6. Who does Lucy reveal she is to Libby during the police interview? - A) Her aunt - B) Her sister - C) Her mother - D) Her cousin 7. What happens to Justin Ugley (formerly Justin Redding) at the end of the novel? - A) He is arrested - B) He dies by suicide, leaving a false confession - C) He moves to Chicago - D) He returns to the Cheyne Walk house 8. Who arrives at Lucy's new vicarage in the final chapter? - A) Michael Rimmer - B) The real Phineas Thomsen - C) Detective Owusu - D) Birdie Dunlop-Evers ### Character Motivation (Questions 9–13) 9. Why does Henry initially travel to Chicago instead of Botswana? - A) He wants to avoid Lucy - B) He suspects Phin's Chicago life is real - C) He has business there - D) He is fleeing the police 10. Why does Rachel decide to meet Michael after their first encounter? - A) She is lonely and curious about the charming American - B) She needs a business partner - C) Her father forces her - D) She wants to investigate him for a crime 11. Why does Lucy buy the vicarage in St. Albans? - A) It is close to Libby and feels like a home that can absorb her family's imperfections - B) It is the cheapest house on the market - C) Henry insists she move there - D) She wants to start a bed-and-breakfast 12. Why does Henry dispose of Birdie's remains in the Thames? - A) To protect himself from being implicated in her death - B) To frame someone else - C) To honor a promise to Birdie - D) To prevent the house from being haunted 13. Why does Rachel initially conceal the rape from her father? - A) She is ashamed and wants to erase that period from her life - B) She does not believe it happened - C) She fears her father will kill Michael - D) She wants to protect Michael's reputation ### Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17) 14. What does the house at 16 Cheyne Walk symbolize throughout the novel? - A) A place of safety and comfort - B) A repository of secrets and trauma - C) A symbol of financial success - D) A model of family harmony 15. What does the fox-shaped door knocker in Chicago represent? - A) A sign of good luck - B) A marker of Henry's obsessive pursuit of Phin - C) A symbol of the Thames - D) A reference to Lucy's violin 16. What does the motif of false identities (e.g., Henry as Phineas Thomson, Lucy as Marie Caron) primarily illustrate? - A) The characters' desire for adventure - B) The lasting impact of childhood trauma and the need to escape the past - C) The characters' criminal tendencies - D) The characters' dislike of their real names 17. What does the expensive Yves Delorme towel found with Birdie's bones suggest? - A) The killer was wealthy or had access to wealth - B) The victim was a tourist - C) The murder was committed in a hotel - D) The body was moved from a hospital ### Synthesis (Questions 18–20) 18. How does the novel use the Thames as a narrative device? - A) It serves only as a scenic backdrop - B) It acts as a repository for hidden truths and a symbol of the past resurfacing - C) It is the primary setting for all major events - D) It represents the characters' hope for the future 19. What is the significance of Henry's final act in the epilogue, giving his name as Kris Doll? - A) It shows he has fully recovered and is starting a new life - B) It demonstrates his continued pattern of identity imitation and his unresolved loneliness - C) It proves he has forgotten Phin - D) It indicates he plans to move to Chicago permanently 20. Considering the novel's ending, what is the central theme of The Family Remains? - A) The triumph of justice over evil - B) The inescapable nature of the past and the complex, often unresolved, process of healing - C) The importance of wealth in achieving happiness - D) The simplicity of family relationships --- ## Answer Key 1. B – In the prologue, Jason Mott's group finds a black bin bag containing human bones, including a jawbone and a small skull. 2. B – Detective Loubet informs Rachel that Michael was found dead in the basement of his Antibes house with a stab wound. 3. B – Henry books a flight to Chicago after reading a Tripadvisor review that suggests Phin has family there. 4. A – The Tripadvisor review by Nancy Romano mentions Finn's family in Chicago, prompting Henry to change his plans. 5. B – Rachel photographs a handgun and financial documents in Michael's study. 6. C – Libby reveals to the police that Lucy is her mother, who gave birth to her at fourteen. 7. B – Justin dies by suicide, leaving a note falsely confessing to Birdie's murder to protect Henry. 8. B – The real Phineas Thomsen arrives at the vicarage, reuniting with Libby. 9. B – Henry suspects Phin's Chicago life might be real and goes to find out. 10. A – Rachel is lonely and curious about the charming American, deciding to reply to his email. 11. A – Lucy wants a home that can absorb her family's imperfections and is close to Libby. 12. A – Henry moves the bones to protect himself from being implicated in Birdie's death. 13. A – Rachel is ashamed and wants to erase that period from her life, so she conceals the rape. 14. B – The house symbolizes a repository of secrets and trauma, haunting the characters. 15. B – The fox knocker marks Henry's obsessive pursuit of Phin in Chicago. 16. B – False identities illustrate the lasting impact of childhood trauma and the need to escape the past. 17. A – The expensive towel suggests the killer had access to wealth, pointing to the Cheyne Walk household. 18. B – The Thames acts as a repository for hidden truths and symbolizes the past resurfacing. 19. B – Henry's final act demonstrates his continued pattern of identity imitation and unresolved loneliness. 20. B – The novel's central theme is the inescapable nature of the past and the complex, often unresolved, process of healing.