Character Overview
Hanna Mack, the elder sister of the missing Ellie Mack and middle child of Laurel and Paul Mack, embodies the often-unseen suffering of a sibling overshadowed by tragedy. Initially appearing cold and distant, she contrasts sharply with the idealized memory of her "golden girl" sister. Hanna's journey explores themes of grief, loss, and moving on as she secretly builds a new life amidst her fractured family.
Who Is Hanna Mack?
Hanna is the resilient survivor, the one who learned to navigate the world while carrying the weight of her family's grief. For years, she is perceived as the "difficult" daughter, a label that masks her own pain and longing for connection. Beneath her pragmatic exterior lies a deep well of emotion, carefully guarded from a world she believes will never truly understand her. Her journey is one of reclaiming her own identity and finding happiness despite the long shadow cast by her sister's disappearance.
Personality & Traits
Hanna's defining characteristic is her emotional guardedness, a defense mechanism developed in response to feeling overlooked and unloved. She presents a pragmatic, even cynical, front to the world, masking her vulnerability and resentment.
- Emotionally Guarded: Hanna is intensely private, especially with her mother, Laurel. Laurel describes her voice as "brusque and characterless," and notes that Hanna's reaction to a surprise visit is "90 percent appalled and 10 percent concerned."
- Work-Oriented: She channels her energy into her demanding job in the City, working "fourteen-hour days and weekends." Her gloomy flat is little more than a "glorified hotel room" to her, a space devoid of personal touches that reflects her emotional isolation.
- Pragmatic and Cynical: Unlike her mother, who clings to hope, Hanna adopts a starkly realistic perspective. She tells Laurel, "now we know she’s not coming back and we’re just going to have to get on with it."
- Secretive: Hanna hides her relationship with Theo Goodman from her family, lying about late nights at work parties and "sleepovers at friends' places" to conceal her growing happiness.
- Resentful: She harbors deep-seated resentment for living in Ellie's shadow. Laurel's own thoughts reveal the painful dynamic: It should be you missing and Ellie eating beans on toast. This perceived lack of love fuels her defensive behavior.
Hanna's Character Journey
For a decade, Hanna is trapped, defined by her demanding career and joyless flat, symbols of her emotional isolation. The revelation of her secret relationship with Theo marks a turning point, revealing her capacity for love and connection. After Paul explains to Laurel that Hanna felt she lost her mother to grief just as she lost her sister, Laurel offers a heartfelt apology, mending their broken bond. By the end, Hanna emerges from Ellie's shadow, her wedding symbolizing her transformation into a "golden girl" in her own right, capable of giving and receiving love openly, particularly with her mother and niece, Poppy Dunn.
Key Relationships
- Laurel Mack: Hanna's relationship with her mother is the most fraught, marked by feelings of judgment and being secondary to Ellie. This dynamic causes Hanna to retreat behind a wall of coldness. The slow, painful process of rebuilding their bond is a testament to the family's capacity for healing.
- Ellie Mack: As the "golden girl," Ellie was the object of everyone's affection, leaving Hanna feeling like an afterthought. Hanna's eventual relationship with Theo, Ellie's first love, is layered with the complexities of this sibling dynamic, guilt, and the right to find happiness.
- Theo Goodman: Her secret boyfriend and eventual husband, Theo represents Hanna's private world and her hope for a future separate from her family's tragedy. Their relationship demonstrates her ability to love and heal, even if she initially feels the need to protect it from her family's painful history.
- Poppy Dunn: Hanna forms an immediate and powerful bond with Poppy. The narrative states, "Poppy hero-worships Hanna and Hanna adores Poppy. They are virtually inseparable." This relationship allows Hanna to step into a nurturing, loving role, helping to heal the wounds left by her own difficult family dynamic.
Defining Moments
- The Unannounced Visit: When Laurel shows up at Hanna's flat, Hanna's discomfort and lies about her social life highlight her deep-seated need for privacy and her fear of her mother's judgment. This scene underscores the emotional distance between them.
- The Discovery of "T": Laurel finding the florist's card from "T" confirms that Hanna has a secret life and is moving on in a way she has refused to share, deepening the mystery around her character and highlighting her independence.
- The Phone Call of Forgiveness: After Paul tells Laurel that Hanna needs forgiveness "for not being Ellie," Laurel leaves Hanna a voicemail apologizing and expressing her love and pride. This moment breaks down the wall between them and is the catalyst for their reconciliation.
- The Wedding: Hanna's wedding to Theo in the epilogue is the culmination of her journey. She is radiant and happy, surrounded by a family that has finally found a way to come back together. She is no longer defined by loss but by love.
Essential Quotes
She’d made her beans on toast, sat and watched her eat it. Hanna. Her middle child. The difficult one. The tiring one. The one she wouldn’t want to be stranded on a desert island with. And a terrible thought shot through her, so fast she barely registered it.
It should be you missing and Ellie eating beans on toast.
This quote encapsulates Laurel's struggle to connect with Hanna and the deep-seated resentment that Hanna senses. It reveals the painful truth of Hanna's position within the family.
"But now we know. We know she’s not coming back and we’re just going to have to get on with it."
This statement showcases Hanna's pragmatic approach to grief, a stark contrast to Laurel's persistent hope. It highlights her desire to move forward, even if it means facing a painful reality.
"Fine," says Hanna. "Fine. But if it’s all a hideous disaster, I’ll blame you for the rest of my life."
This quote, spoken to Theo, reveals Hanna's vulnerability beneath her tough exterior. It shows her fear of commitment and her tendency to deflect potential pain with humor and cynicism.
Laurel catches Hanna’s eye across the room as they find their way to their seats. She smiles and Hanna winks at her and blows her a kiss. Her beautiful daughter. Her golden girl.
This final image of Hanna at her wedding signifies her transformation and the healing of her relationship with Laurel. She has finally become the "golden girl" in her own right, loved and appreciated for who she is.