The Violin in The Family Remains: Lucy's Symbol of Survival and Expression

The Violin as a Physical Object and Recurring Motif

In The Family Remains, the violin is a concrete, recurring object that travels with Lucy Lamb from her teenage years in France into her adult life as a mother and survivor. It is the instrument she uses to busk in the squares of Nice, a battered fiddle that she plays with skill despite having no formal training. The novel presents the violin not merely as a prop but as a charged symbol that carries multiple, shifting meanings: it is a tool for survival, a channel for emotional expression, a trigger for traumatic memory, and a thread connecting Lucy to the people who shaped her—both abusers and allies.

The Violin as a Physical Object

The violin is first described in the context of Lucy's busking life in Nice. In Chapter Forty-Nine, Rachel Rimmer follows Lucy and her children to a central square and watches as Lucy unpacks her instrument, applies lipstick, and transforms into a performer. The violin itself is not described in lavish detail, but it is clearly a working instrument, worn from use. Lucy tells Rachel that she was taught by someone with classical training who preferred to play pop music—a reference to Birdie Dunlop-Evers, the musician who lived in the Cheyne Walk house and who groomed Lucy as a teenager. The violin is thus a physical inheritance from Birdie, though not a gift freely given; it is a tool that Birdie used to draw Lucy into her orbit.

The instrument also appears in Lucy's memories. In Chapter Forty-Two, when Lucy learns that the police are investigating Birdie's murder, she is flooded with sensory recollections: the smell of Birdie's scalp, the stale heat of her breath, and the feel of Birdie's fingertips moving up and down the strings of the battered violin she taught Lucy to play. This memory links the violin directly to the abuse Lucy suffered, making the instrument a repository of trauma as well as a means of expression.

Where the Violin Appears

The violin recurs at key moments in the narrative, often at turning points in Lucy's story or in the investigations of other characters.

• In Nice (Chapter Forty-Nine): Rachel observes Lucy busking, playing pop songs like “Titanium,” “Valerie,” and an Adele track, before performing “The Whole of the Moon” and then “Firework” at Rachel's request. This scene establishes the violin as Lucy's livelihood and as a bridge between two women who have both been harmed by Michael Rimmer.

• In Lucy's memory (Chapter Forty-Two): The violin appears as a trigger for Lucy's panic when she hears Birdie's name. The memory of Birdie's teaching is inseparable from the grooming that followed, so the instrument becomes a symbol of the manipulation that shaped Lucy's adolescence.

• In Marco's recollection (Chapter Fifty): Marco remembers a broken fiddle from their time in France, along with no money and sleeping in an underpass. This memory underscores the violin's association with hardship and survival—it is not a luxury but a necessity, and when it breaks, the family's already fragile situation worsens.

• In Samuel's investigation (Chapter Thirty-Three): Detective Inspector Samuel Owusu watches a 1988 music video by Birdie's band, Original Version, in which Birdie plays a fiddle. The video reveals the Cheyne Walk house, linking Birdie's musical past to the mystery of her disappearance and death. Here the violin is a clue, a piece of evidence that connects Birdie to the house and to the events that Lucy and Henry have kept secret.

• In Henry's narration (Chapter Two): Henry recalls that Lucy busked with a violin after fleeing to the south of France at fifteen. This early mention establishes the violin as part of Lucy's survival strategy from the moment she left home.

Shifting Meanings: From Survival to Expression to Trauma

The violin's meaning evolves over the course of the novel, reflecting Lucy's changing circumstances and emotional state.

Survival and Necessity

When Rachel asks Lucy if busking is a lifestyle choice, Lucy replies, “Necessity? Yes. It’s necessity.” She explains that she would rather be in a warm apartment with money, but that this was not a plan. The violin is a tool for earning money, a way to feed her children when she has no other options. This is reinforced by Marco's memory of the broken fiddle and the family's desperate circumstances. The violin is not an art form for Lucy; it is a means of staying alive.

Emotional Expression and Connection

Despite its utilitarian purpose, the violin also becomes a vehicle for emotional expression. When Rachel asks Lucy to play a song, Lucy chooses “Firework” by Katy Perry, and Rachel stands in the square, tears streaming down her face, feeling for the first time in months that she is not alone. The music creates a moment of intimacy between two strangers who share a history of abuse at the hands of the same man. The violin allows Lucy to communicate feelings she cannot put into words, and it allows Rachel to receive that communication.

Trauma and Trigger

The violin is also a direct link to Lucy's abuse. Birdie, who taught Lucy to play, used the lessons as a way to groom her for David Thomsen. In Chapter Forty-Two, the mere mention of Birdie's name sends Lucy into a spiral of panic, and the memory of the violin is inseparable from the memory of Birdie's hands on her fingers and the subsequent betrayal. The instrument that once gave Lucy a skill and a livelihood is also the instrument of her manipulation. This duality makes the violin a complex symbol: it is both a source of agency and a reminder of victimhood.

Character and Theme Connections

The violin connects to several major characters and themes in the novel.

Lucy Lamb is the primary figure associated with the violin. It is her tool for survival, her means of expression, and her link to a traumatic past. The violin represents her resilience—she has turned a skill taught by her abuser into a way to support her children—but it also keeps her tethered to the memories she tries to escape.

Rachel Rimmer encounters the violin as an observer. Her interaction with Lucy while Lucy busks is a pivotal moment in the novel, as it forges a bond between the two women. The violin facilitates this connection, showing how music can transcend personal pain and create empathy.

Birdie Dunlop-Evers is the origin of the violin in Lucy's life. Though Birdie is dead by the time the main events unfold, her influence persists through the instrument. The violin is a tangible reminder of Birdie's grooming and of the secrets buried in the Cheyne Walk house.

Marco remembers the violin as a symbol of his family's hardship. His recollection of the broken fiddle underscores the fragility of their survival and the sacrifices Lucy made.

Henry recalls Lucy's busking as part of their shared history, linking the violin to the siblings' fractured childhood and their eventual reunion.

Thematically, the violin speaks to identity and reinvention: Lucy uses it to craft a public persona as a busker, but it also ties her to the identity she tried to leave behind. It connects to the legacy of childhood trauma, as the instrument is a physical remnant of Birdie's abuse. It also touches on secrecy and confession, because the violin is part of the hidden history that Samuel investigates. Finally, it relates to the meaning of home and family, as Lucy's busking is a means of providing for her children and creating a makeshift home in public spaces.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the violin function as a symbol of survival for Lucy?

The violin is Lucy's primary means of earning money when she is homeless in France. She tells Rachel that busking is a necessity, not a lifestyle choice, and Marco's memory of a broken fiddle highlights how dependent the family was on the instrument. The violin allows Lucy to feed her children and keep them together, even when they have no stable home. It represents her resourcefulness and her determination to survive despite overwhelming odds.

2. In what ways does the violin connect Lucy to her traumatic past?

The violin was taught to Lucy by Birdie, who used the lessons as part of a grooming process that led to Lucy's sexual abuse by David Thomsen. When Lucy hears Birdie's name, she recalls the physical sensations of Birdie's hands on the strings and the smell of her scalp, linking the instrument directly to the trauma. The violin thus serves as a trigger for Lucy's memories, reminding her of the manipulation she endured and the secrets she has kept.

3. How does the violin facilitate emotional connection between Lucy and Rachel?

When Rachel approaches Lucy while she busks, she asks Lucy to play a song. Lucy performs “Firework,” and Rachel is moved to tears, feeling a sense of connection and relief. The music creates a shared emotional space where both women, who have been abused by the same man, can acknowledge their pain without speaking. The violin becomes a bridge between them, allowing for a moment of mutual recognition and empathy.

4. What does the violin reveal about the theme of identity and reinvention?

Lucy uses the violin to reinvent herself as a busker, a public performer who can earn a living and project an image of independence. However, the instrument also ties her to her past as a runaway and a victim, because it was given to her by Birdie. The violin thus embodies the tension between reinvention and the inescapable weight of history. Lucy can change her circumstances, but she cannot fully escape the origins of her skill or the trauma associated with it. This reflects the novel's broader exploration of how identity is shaped by both choice and circumstance.