The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan Summary, Characters and Themes
The Cliffs is a haunting novel that intertwines the histories of women across generations and explores themes of family, identity, grief, addiction, and the lingering shadows of colonialism.
Set in a small coastal town in Maine, the story follows Jane Flanagan, a troubled archivist who returns home after her mother’s death. As Jane researches the mysterious past of an old Victorian house—now believed to be haunted—she unearths forgotten tales of love, loss, and resilience. Blending ghost stories with real histories, The Cliffs is a richly imagined narrative about the invisible ties between past and present, home and belonging, and the enduring impact of women’s stories.
Summary
Jane Flanagan, a Harvard archivist specializing in women’s stories, returns to her hometown of Awadapquit, Maine, after her mother Shirley’s death.
Jane is struggling with grief and the fallout from an alcohol-related mistake at work that has led to her suspension. She’s staying in her childhood home with her sister, Holly, sorting through Shirley’s belongings.
The house itself holds complex memories—once belonging to their grandmother Mary, it’s also tied to a family history of addiction, which Jane has inherited. Jane’s struggles with alcohol affect her relationships, particularly with her estranged husband, David.
Jane reconnects with her childhood friend Allison, who runs a local inn. When wealthy vacationer Genevieve hires Jane to research the history of her newly renovated vacation home, Jane is drawn into a mystery she has long felt connected to.
The house, known as Lake Grove, sits on a seaside cliff and has a haunted past. Genevieve and her son Benjamin have been disturbed by strange happenings—objects move, lights flicker, and Benjamin speaks of a ghost named Eliza. Genevieve hopes Jane can find historical evidence to explain the ghost’s presence.
Jane discovers that the house was originally owned by Samuel Littleton, a sea captain who died in a shipwreck near the cliff. His wife, Hannah, remained in the house with their children and the family maid, Eliza.
Over time, Hannah and Eliza developed a deep, romantic relationship, running the household and raising the children together.
The novel moves into Eliza’s perspective, detailing her life with Hannah and her enduring love even after death. Jane becomes captivated by the story, seeing parallels with her own struggles for identity and belonging.
During her research, Jane learns that Genevieve dug up a small family cemetery on the property to install a pool.
This act of erasure deeply unsettles Jane, especially after a psychic named Clementine suggests the house may be haunted by more than one ghost. Clementine, who helps Jane connect with her deceased mother and grandmother during a séance, mentions seeing a woman standing on the cliffs, waiting for a ship to return.
Jane initially assumes it is Hannah, but she later learns it could be someone much older—an Indigenous woman named Kanti.
Jane also uncovers the connection between the house’s previous owner, Marilyn Martinson, and her own family. Marilyn’s daughter, Daisy, tragically died in the Lake Grove house, and it becomes clear that Daisy is the ghost identified as “D” by Clementine.
Marilyn’s husband once had an affair with Jane’s grandmother Mary, linking their families across generations.
This revelation shifts Jane’s understanding of her family’s troubled history, especially as she learns that her grandmother also battled alcohol addiction—a secret Shirley kept from her daughters.
Jane continues her research and collaborates with Naomi Miller, a Penobscot historian, to uncover more about the land’s history.
Naomi shares the story of Kanti, an Abenaki woman whose husband was abducted by British explorers. Kanti spent her life on the cliffs, watching for his return. Her story parallels the enduring themes of longing and loss that permeate the novel.
In the end, Jane, now running a local women’s history museum, begins to reclaim her life. She attends her first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, acknowledging her struggles and her family’s legacy.
The story ends with Jane receiving a call from Naomi about Kanti’s tale—a final reminder that history is always present, waiting to be uncovered and remembered.
Characters
Jane Flanagan
Jane Flanagan is the protagonist of The Cliffs, a complex woman whose life is marked by struggles with alcohol, grief, and the search for meaning and identity. At the heart of the novel, Jane returns to her hometown of Awadapquit, Maine, to cope with the death of her mother, Shirley.
She has lived with an alcohol use disorder for much of her life, and this issue resurfaces as she confronts her past. Throughout the novel, Jane works through her feelings of shame and inadequacy, especially after a professional failure at work that leads to an unpaid leave from her job as an archivist at Harvard.
Her relationships are similarly affected, particularly her strained marriage to her husband, David, whom she leaves in the wake of her personal crises. Jane’s journey in the novel is one of self-exploration and reconciliation, as she uncovers secrets about her family’s past, especially the hidden history of her mother and grandmother, while also wrestling with her own identity and addiction.
She is a woman caught between the past and present, trying to make peace with her family’s legacy and find a path forward in her own life.
Shirley Flanagan
Shirley Flanagan, Jane’s mother, is a central figure whose influence looms large over Jane’s life. She was a woman who struggled with her own alcohol use disorder, a trait that seems to have been passed down to Jane.
Shirley’s life was filled with instability, and her unpredictable nature deeply affected Jane and her sister, Holly. Shirley’s troubled relationship with her own mother, Mary, is a key part of the backstory, and it becomes clear that Shirley kept many secrets from Jane in an effort to protect her.
Despite her flaws and the damage she may have caused, Shirley’s death triggers Jane’s return home, forcing Jane to confront her mother’s past as well as her own unresolved feelings. Through flashbacks and revelations, Jane uncovers the emotional and psychological toll that Shirley’s secrets and struggles had on their family dynamic, leading to a reevaluation of the woman she thought she knew.
Shirley’s character remains somewhat enigmatic, and her complex legacy is explored through Jane’s discoveries.
Genevieve
Genevieve is the wealthy summer resident who purchases the Lake Grove house and becomes a key character in the unfolding mystery surrounding the property. She is a “summer person” from Boston, bringing a new, modern energy to the small town of Awadapquit.
Genevieve has a history of feeling emotionally and spiritually disconnected from her surroundings, which manifests in her belief that the Lake Grove house is haunted. Her anxiety about the ghostly presence of a woman named Eliza, who she believes haunts the house, drives her to hire Jane to research the house’s history.
Genevieve’s personal struggles with her own identity and her connection to the house make her an interesting foil to Jane, as both women are looking to reconcile their present lives with the past. Genevieve’s attempts to create a perfect life in her newly renovated home reflect a desire to escape or reshape history, yet her unease with the house’s past and its lingering spirits suggest that she cannot fully escape the truth.
Marilyn Martinson
Marilyn Martinson is a key figure in the history of the Lake Grove house, having sold the property to Genevieve. She is an artist who once gained recognition in her field but eventually gave up her painting career.
Marilyn’s reluctance to discuss the past and her silence when Jane attempts to contact her reflect her own trauma and disillusionment. As Jane digs deeper into Marilyn’s life, she uncovers the tragic story of Marilyn’s daughter, Daisy, who died at the Lake Grove house.
Marilyn’s past is shrouded in mystery, but her connection to the house, through both her art and personal life, makes her an essential part of the story’s exploration of family secrets and unresolved grief. Marilyn’s character illustrates the ways in which individuals can bury their own history and pain, sometimes to their own detriment.
Allison
Allison is Jane’s close friend and confidante who plays a supportive role throughout the novel. She is the one who hires a psychic, Clementine, to help Jane process her grief and emotional turmoil after her mother’s death.
Allison is deeply concerned for Jane, especially as Jane falls back into old habits with her alcohol use. Allison’s friendship is essential in providing Jane with a connection to the outside world, especially as Jane isolates herself during her struggles.
While Allison’s role in the plot is somewhat secondary compared to Jane’s, she acts as a grounding influence in Jane’s life. Her empathy and concern for Jane’s well-being reflect the importance of community and support in overcoming personal struggles.
Naomi Miller
Naomi Miller is a member of the Penobscot Nation and a historian who becomes involved in Jane’s research into the history of the Lake Grove house. Naomi’s perspective on the area’s history, particularly its colonial past, adds a significant layer to the novel’s exploration of land, memory, and the legacies of injustice.
Naomi’s work, which includes collecting Indigenous stories, brings a deeper understanding of the Abenaki people and their history, particularly the tragic tale of Kanti, an Abenaki woman whose life is intricately tied to the land Jane is researching. Naomi’s contribution is essential in expanding the historical scope of the novel, linking the personal and familial histories with the broader context of colonialism and Indigenous displacement.
Clementine
Clementine is a psychic who helps Jane process her grief after her mother’s death. She plays an important role in Jane’s emotional and spiritual journey, providing a connection to the past through her psychic abilities.
Clementine is a bridge between the living and the dead, offering Jane glimpses of messages from spirits, including her mother, grandmother, and a mysterious young girl named D. Her visit to Camp Mira, a Spiritualist community, further deepens the mystical elements of the story, as Clementine offers guidance not only about Jane’s grief but also about the spirits that haunt the Lake Grove house.
Clementine’s character represents the theme of connection between the past and present, as she helps Jane process her own trauma while uncovering the mysteries of the house.
Holly Flanagan
Holly is Jane’s sister, whose relationship with Jane is strained due to their differing approaches to life and their respective emotional burdens. Holly’s role in the narrative is primarily as a foil to Jane, offering a contrast to her sister’s tumultuous emotional landscape.
Holly’s own feelings of anger and resentment are brought to light when she reveals the hidden truths about their family, including the history of alcoholism in their mother’s life and Mary’s affair with Marilyn’s husband. Holly’s revelation about their family history marks a turning point for Jane, helping her to reframe her understanding of her mother and grandmother.
While Holly’s character is not as central as Jane’s, her actions serve to catalyze Jane’s growth and understanding of herself.
Benjamin
Benjamin is Genevieve’s young son, and his connection to the supernatural adds an eerie element to the story. He is one of the first to experience strange happenings in the Lake Grove house, such as speaking to a ghost.
His interactions with the spirits in the house create an unsettling atmosphere and serve to further connect the haunting of the house to the larger narrative of history, family secrets, and unresolved trauma. Benjamin’s presence in the story highlights the intersection of innocence and the supernatural, as his childlike understanding of the events contrasts with the adult characters’ more complex relationships to the past and the spirits that haunt them.
Themes
The Intergenerational Struggles with Addiction and the Inescapable Legacy of Alcoholism
One of the central themes of The Cliffs is the intergenerational trauma and struggles with alcohol use disorder that affects several generations of women in Jane Flanagan’s family. The novel paints a poignant picture of how Jane’s relationship with alcohol mirrors that of her mother Shirley and her grandmother Mary.
Jane’s alcohol use disorder becomes a significant obstacle in her life, especially as she navigates her grief over her mother’s death and faces professional and personal crises. Through flashbacks and family history, the novel reveals that Shirley’s childhood was marked by instability and neglect, much of which was a result of Mary’s own addiction.
This cyclical nature of addiction is explored deeply, showing how it damages relationships, stifles growth, and ultimately becomes a legacy that Jane feels trapped by. The novel goes beyond portraying addiction as a personal struggle and delves into how it affects family dynamics, self-worth, and the complex feelings of love and resentment between mothers and daughters.
It is only when Jane uncovers the darker secrets of her family’s past, particularly about Mary’s affair and her own struggles with alcohol, that she begins to see her mother and grandmother in a new light. This theme speaks to the difficulty of breaking free from family patterns and the immense weight of generational trauma.
The Haunting Nature of Unresolved History and the Quest for Personal Redemption
The haunted house at Lake Grove serves as a powerful symbol for the larger theme of unresolved history that lingers in the characters’ lives, especially Jane’s. The house, with its eerie presence and the mysterious ghosts that seem to occupy it, mirrors the emotional and psychological ghosts that Jane must confront as she returns home.
The novel’s exploration of ghosts, both literal and metaphorical, is central to understanding how the past is never truly gone and how unresolved emotions, histories, and regrets continue to haunt the present. For Jane, the ghosts of her family’s past are intertwined with her own unresolved issues, particularly her personal failures and mistakes.
Her journey to uncover the house’s history, including the stories of the women who lived there, is also an effort to reconcile with her own past and seek redemption. As she uncovers the tragic and intimate history of Eliza, a former maid in the house, and her connection to the family, Jane starts to understand the long shadows of loss and love that persist through time.
This quest for uncovering the past and making sense of it is mirrored in Jane’s personal journey of seeking self-forgiveness and redemption for her mistakes. The ghosts in the story are not just supernatural; they are representations of the parts of the past that have been ignored or forgotten, waiting to be acknowledged and reconciled.
The Complex Intersection of Historical Colonialism and Indigenous Erasure in Maine’s Landscape
Another profound theme in The Cliffs is the intersection of historical colonialism and the erasure of Indigenous stories, which are embedded in the land and its history. Jane’s discovery of the connection between the Abenaki people and the land surrounding Lake Grove reveals the long history of displacement, violence, and erasure suffered by Indigenous peoples.
The character of Naomi Miller, a member of the Penobscot Nation, plays a key role in helping Jane understand the deep, often overlooked history of the region. The abduction of Abenaki men by British explorer Archibald Pembroke serves as a symbol of colonial violence, while Kanti’s story of waiting for her husband, who was taken by the ship, reflects the unending pain of loss experienced by Indigenous communities.
These historical events are intertwined with the physical landscape, as Jane uncovers the stories that have been buried beneath the façade of white settlers and vacation homes. The act of digging up a cemetery to install a pool on Genevieve’s property becomes a metaphor for the ongoing erasure and disrespect of Indigenous history and cultural spaces.
The theme speaks to the broader implications of colonialism in the contemporary world, showing how the past’s injustices continue to resonate and affect the lives of present-day characters, particularly the Indigenous communities that have been marginalized for centuries.
The Struggles of Female Identity in the Context of Family, Secrets, and Societal Expectations
Throughout The Cliffs, the theme of female identity is explored in relation to family, secrets, and societal expectations. Jane’s journey is marked by her attempts to understand who she is in relation to the women who came before her.
Her strained relationship with her mother and the hidden secrets of her grandmother create a complex web of influences that shape Jane’s understanding of herself. The novel shows how the expectations placed on women, both by their families and by society, contribute to the development of their identities.
Jane’s work as an archivist focused on women’s stories initially seems to offer a path for her to find meaning, but it becomes clear that her own story is tangled with the legacies of other women. The pressures of being the “good” daughter, wife, and professional weigh heavily on her, particularly when she is confronted with her own failures.
Her struggles with alcohol and her complicated relationship with her mother reveal how women’s identities are often shaped by a combination of familial expectations, personal choices, and the societal roles they are forced to inhabit. The theme reflects the broader challenge faced by women to assert their independence and authenticity while navigating the constraints imposed by both familial ties and social pressures.
The Unyielding Influence of Place in Shaping Identity and Generational Trauma
The role of place in shaping the characters’ identities and the generational trauma they carry is another central theme in The Cliffs. The Victorian house at Lake Grove, the cliffs overlooking the ocean, and the town of Awadapquit itself are not just physical settings but also emotional landscapes that hold the weight of personal and collective history.
The land and the house, in particular, are imbued with memories, both painful and beautiful, that shape the characters’ lives. For Jane, the house is a place of refuge during her turbulent teenage years, yet it becomes a symbol of loss and change when she returns as an adult.
The way Genevieve renovates the house and strips it of its historical character speaks to the larger theme of gentrification and the erasure of history, much like the erasure of Indigenous histories in the region. Jane’s return to the town and the house is also a return to the emotional scars of her past, where she must confront the trauma of her mother’s death, her struggles with addiction, and her difficult relationship with her family.
The unyielding influence of place in this novel suggests that the physical spaces we inhabit can profoundly impact our sense of self and can either heal or perpetuate the traumas that we carry across generations.