Manipulation and Control
What This Theme Explores: Keep It in the Family relentlessly examines manipulation and control, revealing them as the insidious forces that drive the narrative. The novel delves into the psychological warfare waged within the Hunter family, where love becomes a weapon, secrets serve as currency, and reality is distorted to serve hidden agendas. Marrs questions how such behaviors can be passed down through generations, evolving into a destructive legacy with devastating consequences for everyone involved.
Development of the Theme
The theme of manipulation and control evolves from subtle domestic tension to overt, life-or-death power plays as the novel progresses. Initially, it manifests as passive aggression and emotional blackmail, but as secrets are unearthed, the methods become more desperate and violent.
- In the beginning, the theme is introduced through the tense dynamic between Mia and Debbie Hunter. Debbie uses passive-aggressive comments and feigned concern to undermine Mia and maintain control over her son, Finn Hunter. Finn manipulates Mia by hiding his own doubts about the house and, more significantly, by living a secret double life. The control is psychological, simmering beneath the surface of family obligations.
- The discovery of the bodies escalates the manipulation. Debbie seizes control by positioning herself as Sonny Hunter's primary caregiver, exploiting Mia's trauma and supposed postnatal depression. Dave Hunter manipulates Mia by withholding information about his past and his connection to the house. His suicide is the ultimate act of manipulation, designed to frame a false narrative and protect Debbie.
- By the end, manipulation becomes the primary weapon. Debbie's offer to pay Mia to abandon her family is a direct power play. Her kidnapping of Sonny is the theme's terrifying climax—an act of absolute control. In the final act, Finn turns the tables, using Debbie's own tactics of emotional blackmail and withheld information (the photos of Sonny, the truth about George) to seize control of his own life.
Key Examples
Debbie's psychological warfare is evident from the outset, as she uses subtle digs to control Mia. For example, she dismisses Mia's potential contribution to the renovation, stating, "Oh Mia, wandering around John Lewis picking out bedding and matching curtains isn’t 'putting in the hours'. It’ll be Finn and his dad doing most of the work, won’t it?" This is designed to belittle Mia and reinforce Debbie's dominance in the family structure.
Debbie's most audacious attempt at control is when she offers Mia money to leave her family behind. This scene is a chilling display of manipulation disguised as a solution:
‘I want you to leave Finn.’ I place my hand gently on her forearm. ‘I’m sorry to say it, but you bring nothing but unhappiness here. You are like a cancer in our family, Mia, eating away at us... Part of the condition of you moving away is that you leave my grandson behind.’
Dave's suicide is a carefully orchestrated act of manipulation. His final words and his suicide note are crafted to paint him as the sole perpetrator, a final, desperate act to control the narrative and protect Debbie from suspicion. He sacrifices himself to ensure her secrets remain buried.
For years, Finn manipulates Mia by hiding his affair and his daughter, Chloe. This long-term deception allows him to control two separate lives, avoiding confrontation and maintaining a facade of a committed marriage. The revelation shatters Mia's perception of their entire relationship.
Character Connections
Debbie Hunter is the master manipulator, her control absolute and multifaceted. It stems from a twisted desire to "save" children and maintain her iron grip on her family. She weaponizes her MND for sympathy, uses her "love" for Finn as a leash, and employs outright lies as her primary weapons.
Dave Hunter is a passive manipulator and an enabler. His control is exercised through silence and complicity. By hiding Debbie's crimes and his own past, he manipulates his family's reality to preserve a fragile peace. His final act is one of ultimate, self-destructive control.
Finn Hunter is both a perpetrator and a victim of manipulation. He deceives Mia for years, but he was also the first victim of Debbie's control, having been stolen as a baby and raised on a foundation of lies. His character arc is about breaking free from this control and finally seizing his own agency.
Mia begins as the primary target of Debbie's manipulation. Her journey is one of resistance, as she fights to reclaim control over her own life and uncover the truth. She eventually adopts manipulative tactics herself—such as ordering the secret DNA test—to break the Hunters' hold on her.
Symbolism
The House at 45 High Street is the ultimate symbol of control, a physical container for decades of secrets and manipulation. The act of renovating it is Mia and Finn's attempt to impose their own control over the property, but the house's past proves too powerful to be plastered over.
The Portmanteau suitcases represent the ultimate form of control over others: the containment and concealment of life itself. They are instruments of Debbie's twisted order, turning human beings into objects that can be neatly packed away and hidden from the world.
The falsified appointment diaries are a physical manifestation of Debbie's manipulation. They create a false narrative, a paper trail of lies designed to provide an alibi and control the perception of the past.
Contemporary Relevance
The theme of manipulation and control resonates deeply in a contemporary context, mirroring modern discussions about psychological abuse, gaslighting, and toxic relationships. Debbie's constant undermining of Mia's sanity and her attempts to isolate her from Finn are classic examples of emotional abuse that are widely recognized today. Furthermore, the creation of false narratives and the meticulous control of information within the Hunter family reflect the challenges of navigating "fake news" and curated realities in the digital age, where the truth can be easily manipulated to serve a personal agenda.