The characters of John Marrs's Keep It in the Family are entangled in a web of secrets, trauma, and manipulation, particularly within the ominous Hunter family. The story follows a young couple whose dream home becomes a nightmare, unearthing generations of horror and forcing them to confront the darkness within their family's history and themselves.
Main Characters
Mia
Mia is the central protagonist, a determined journalist whose discovery of a cryptic message in her new home sets off a chain of horrifying revelations. Initially ambitious and self-assured, Mia transforms into an anxious and obsessive figure after a traumatic fall and the discovery of bodies in her home. Her journalistic instincts drive her to uncover the truth, even as she battles postnatal depression and PTSD, making her journey one of resilience in the face of unimaginable horror. Mia's most significant relationship is with her husband, Finn Hunter, whose family secrets and infidelity test their marriage. She also has a fraught relationship with her mother-in-law, Debbie Hunter, which escalates as she gets closer to the truth, and a difficult but ultimately loving bond with her son, Sonny Hunter, whose premature birth and subsequent mental health struggles create a challenging dynamic.
Finn Hunter
Finn is the co-protagonist, a seemingly ordinary husband caught between his wife and his manipulative mother, later revealed to be a victim of kidnapping and a product of a twisted upbringing. Initially appearing as a pragmatic and supportive partner, Finn harbors deep secrets and a capacity for extreme violence. His character is defined by his conflicting loyalties and the shocking revelation of his true identity. Finn's relationship with his wife, Mia, is strained by his inability to support her through her trauma and his own hidden past. He is intensely co-dependent with Debbie Hunter, the woman he believes is his mother, and distant from Dave Hunter, the man he believes is his father. His affair with Emma Jones, with whom he has a secret daughter, Chloe, further complicates his already fractured life.
Debbie Hunter
Debbie serves as the primary antagonist, a prolific serial killer masquerading as an overbearing but caring mother. She is manipulative, narcissistic, and utterly ruthless, using emotional blackmail to hide her monstrous nature. Debbie believes her killings are acts of "saving" children from neglectful parents, revealing a deeply disturbed psyche. Her possessive obsession with Finn Hunter, the boy she kidnapped and raised as her son, drives her to view Mia as a threat. She manipulates her husband, Dave Hunter, from the day they met, using his guilt and love to make him her accomplice. She also manipulates her long-lost brother, George Lewis, to serve her own ends.
Dave Hunter
Dave is a tragic figure and Debbie's lifelong enabler and accomplice, serving as a red herring for much of the novel. Quiet and world-weary, he is haunted by the past and fiercely loyal to Debbie, a loyalty born from a shared traumatic event in their youth. He is a skilled builder but a broken man, using alcohol to cope with his guilt. Dave's entire adult life is defined by protecting Debbie's secrets, loving her unconditionally despite knowing the monster she is. He loves Finn Hunter, the boy he raised as his son, but maintains a distance, burdened by the secret of his true parentage and Debbie's crimes.
Supporting Characters
Sonny Hunter
The infant son of Mia and Finn, Sonny represents innocence caught in a web of familial evil. His premature birth, kidnapping, and rescue are central to the latter half of the book, highlighting the vulnerability of children in the face of adult horrors.
George Lewis
Debbie's estranged older brother, George was the original "bait" for their murderous parents. He reappears late in the story as a key player in Sonny's kidnapping, highlighting the long-lasting impact of childhood trauma and manipulation.
DS Mark Goodwin
A detective and family liaison officer assigned to the Hunters' case, DS Goodwin is professional, empathetic, and a source of stability for Mia. He develops feelings for her and is the only official who questions the neatness of Dave's confession, suspecting a deeper conspiracy.
Emma Jones
Finn's high-school sweetheart and the mother of his secret daughter, Chloe, Emma represents a simpler, more "normal" life that Finn both desires and sabotages. She eventually reunites with Finn after his split from Mia, but their relationship ends again under the weight of his family's horrific legacy.
Minor Characters
- Precious Johnson: A childhood classmate of Dave and a victim of Debbie's mother, whose supposed death at Dave's hands was the lie Debbie used to bind him to her forever.
- The Kilgours (Kenneth and Moira): The elderly couple who originally owned the house and were the first victims of Debbie's parents, Samuel and Alice Lewis.
- Aaliyah Anderson: A freelance journalist who exposes Finn's affair and is murdered by Finn for digging into the family's secrets.
- Lorna Holmes: Mia's old university friend whose brother was one of the victims in the attic; she becomes a confidante for Mia but is murdered by Finn when he perceives her as a threat.
Character Relationships & Dynamics
The relationships in the novel are built on layers of deceit, manipulation, and co-dependency.
- The Hunter Family Dynamic: Debbie Hunter manipulates Dave Hunter through a shared secret and unconditional love, while Finn Hunter is a victim/product, kidnapped and raised under her control, torn between loyalty to her and his love for Mia.
- Mia and Finn's Marriage: Mia and Finn's relationship is eroded by Debbie's interference, the trauma of the house, Finn's infidelity, and Mia's mental health struggles, creating a battle between a truth-seeker and a serial killer.