The Ascent by Allison Buccola Summary, Characters and Themes
The Ascent by Allison Buccola is a psychological and emotional exploration of motherhood, trauma, and identity. It follows Lee, a new mother in Philadelphia, as she navigates the exhaustion and fear of postpartum life while wrestling with the scars left by her troubled childhood.
Through Lee’s struggles with anxiety, family secrets, and a dark past involving a cult disappearance, the story examines how trauma can shape one’s sense of self and relationships. Intertwining present-day challenges with haunting memories, the novel unpacks the fragile balance between protecting loved ones and confronting painful truths, creating a profound portrait of resilience and the quest for healing.
Summary
The story begins in modern-day Philadelphia, where Lee and her husband Theo care for their infant daughter, Lucy. Lucy has trouble sleeping through the night, waking frequently and requiring constant soothing, which leaves Lee drained and anxious.
Theo suggests moving Lucy to a room on the third floor to help everyone sleep better, but Lee resists, fearful of leaving her daughter alone and overwhelmed by worries about their old rowhouse’s lead paint and aging pipes. This tension between Lee’s anxiety and Theo’s practical approach highlights her fragile mental state as she struggles with postpartum challenges that feel far deeper than typical new-mother fatigue.
Lee’s past complicates her current struggles. She grew up estranged from her mother and unsure about her father, bearing the emotional weight of a fractured childhood.
Her postpartum experience is less about typical depression and more an unraveling of her identity, which she tries to manage through rigid routines but often feels isolated and unsure if she can regain her former self. Meanwhile, a mysterious young woman named Mona appears repeatedly, oddly connected to Lee’s daughter despite not being a mother herself, unsettling Lee and hinting at unresolved parts of her history.
Lee attends a weekly support group for mothers, where she listens to others’ challenges but remains guarded about her own difficulties. She is haunted by disturbing dreams of losing Lucy and the fear that she might fail as a mother.
Theo’s job as a public defender adds another layer of stress, especially when he becomes involved in a sensitive case involving missing children. Threats appear at their home, increasing Lee’s fear for her family’s safety.
The story flashes back twenty years to Lee’s childhood, when she was known as Ophelia. She lived on a remote commune called Jacob’s Hill, a doomsday cult compound.
One day, the community mysteriously disappears, leaving Ophelia alone and terrified. Taken away against her will by authorities, she faces abandonment and confusion.
This traumatic event forms the dark undercurrent of Lee’s adult life, explaining much of her anxiety and emotional fragility.
Back in the present, Lee avoids returning to her job as an archivist, paralyzed by fear of leaving Lucy and confronting the outside world. Theo and his mother encourage her to seek help, but Lee fears losing her daughter if she appears unstable.
The resurfacing of a documentary about the cult disappearance, called The Fifteen, and the presence of Mona threaten to expose painful memories Lee has worked hard to suppress.
As Lee navigates motherhood and past trauma, she learns that Mona is actually her long-lost sister. This reunion brings complicated emotions, recalling a difficult childhood marked by neglect and illness under the control of a cult-like figure named Christopher.
Their mother Sylvie was distant and unpredictable, and the family suffered under secrets and medical neglect. Ophelia was taken in by her aunt Anne after the disappearance of many children, carrying the burden of suspicion and police investigations.
Mona’s return brings tension. She stays in the attic of Lee’s home, but her troubled behavior and elusive nature create unease.
Theo tries to help Mona by suggesting support services, but Lee feels Mona needs more than that. The sisters’ relationship is strained by unspoken pain and mistrust.
Theo’s friends join the scene, unaware of Mona’s history, and conversations about manipulation and death raise alarms for Lee. She begins to question what Mona has endured and the true reasons behind her sudden return—especially after Mona reveals she is pregnant.
The story examines the delicate balance Lee tries to maintain: protecting her daughter and family while confronting buried secrets. Tensions rise as Lee notices inconsistencies and hidden dangers, such as a mysterious phone and cryptic messages linked to Mona.
Meanwhile, their community’s skepticism, including public accusations against Lee on social media, deepens her isolation.
At one point, Lee is hospitalized after a fall and is placed in psychiatric care, where her concerns about Theo and a woman named Maria are dismissed. Maria had infiltrated their lives posing as Lee’s sister and was involved with Theo in a dangerous affair.
Lee suspects Theo harmed Maria to protect himself. Her attempts to reveal the truth are ignored as medical staff treat her as mentally unstable.
A reporter named Meghan, connected to the docuseries about Lee’s past, helps bring public attention to her story. Following this exposure, Lee is released but remains fearful of Theo’s control.
She finds security footage showing suspicious activity on the day Maria disappeared, contradicting Theo’s story and reinforcing her suspicion that he killed Maria.
In a climactic confrontation, Lee restrains Theo and forces a confession. Theo admits to the affair with Maria and implies he killed her to protect the family.
Lee records this and alerts the police, leading to Theo’s arrest. The subsequent trial becomes a public spectacle, with Lee testifying despite doubts about her mental health.
Ultimately, Theo is convicted, validating Lee’s account.
One year later, Lee returns to Jacob’s Hill, now reclaimed by nature. She honors the memory of her lost family members, including Mona, and reflects on the impact of trauma on her life.
Holding her daughter close, Lee faces an uncertain future with determination to protect Lucy and rebuild a life free from fear and secrets. The story closes on a note of cautious optimism, highlighting the enduring bond between mother and child and the possibility of healing after trauma.
Characters
Lee (Ophelia)
Lee, whose birth name is Ophelia, is the complex and deeply troubled protagonist around whom the entire narrative revolves. She is portrayed as a woman caught in the grips of postpartum anxiety and trauma, struggling to reconcile her present role as a mother with a haunting and fractured past.
Lee’s experience of motherhood is marked by exhaustion, fear, and a pervasive sense of isolation. Her anxiety manifests most vividly in her constant worry about her infant daughter Lucy’s wellbeing and safety, heightened by sleep deprivation and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
Beneath this immediate struggle, however, lies a deeper emotional and psychological wound originating from her childhood in a secluded, cult-like community called Jacob’s Hill. This past has left her with unresolved trauma, loss, and abandonment, especially after the mysterious disappearance of many children, including her sister Mona.
Lee’s identity is fractured—she navigates her days with rigid routines and checklists to manage anxiety, yet internally she feels untethered, unsure if she will ever regain her “old self. ” Her relationship with her husband Theo reveals further complexity; she feels emotionally isolated from him despite his efforts to maintain order and normalcy.
Lee’s interactions with Mona, her long-lost sister, bring a resurgence of painful memories and unresolved family tensions. Throughout the narrative, Lee’s journey is one of confronting her trauma, protecting her daughter, and searching for stability and trust in a life overshadowed by fear and secrecy.
Theo
Theo, Lee’s husband, plays a pivotal role as both a stabilizing and ambiguous presence in the story. Professionally, he is a public defender, involved in high-stakes cases that bring external danger and tension into the family’s life.
His desire for order and normalcy contrasts with Lee’s emotional volatility and anxiety. Theo encourages Lee to engage with social support systems, like mommy groups, and attempts to push her towards independence, although his approach sometimes feels controlling or detached from Lee’s deeper struggles.
As the story unfolds, Theo’s character reveals darker layers—his affair with Maria, a woman who infiltrated their lives under false pretenses, and the suspicion that he may have harmed Maria to protect his family, introduce moral ambiguity and tension. Theo’s interactions with Lee oscillate between support and control, and his secrecy, particularly regarding Maria and the “kid case,” strains their relationship.
Ultimately, Theo’s role in the family shifts from protector to antagonist as his actions lead to a criminal trial and his arrest. Theo embodies themes of power, betrayal, and the complexities of trust within intimate relationships.
Mona
Mona, Lee’s long-lost sister, returns suddenly after years of absence, bringing with her a cloud of mystery, pain, and unresolved history. Her presence disrupts the fragile stability Lee has tried to build in her adult life.
Mona is depicted as fragile, both physically and emotionally, with a turbulent past that includes neglect, illness, and possible involvement with their cult-like upbringing under the influence of Christopher. Mona’s return is complicated by her elusive behavior and the revelation that she is pregnant, which intensifies the tension around her presence in Lee and Theo’s home.
The sisters share a heavy history marked by trauma and silence, and Mona’s appearance forces Lee to confront the shadows of their childhood and the painful secrets that have long been buried. While Mona’s intentions are not fully clear, her dynamic with Lee is both comforting and unsettling, as she embodies the unresolved past that Lee tries to keep at bay.
Mona’s character explores themes of survival, trauma, and the complicated bonds of sisterhood.
Lucy
Lucy is Lee and Theo’s infant daughter and serves as a central emotional anchor in the narrative. Though a baby, Lucy’s presence profoundly shapes Lee’s experience of motherhood and mental health.
Lucy’s sleep struggles and low weight become focal points for Lee’s anxiety and exhaustion. She represents both hope and vulnerability, the future Lee desperately wants to protect from the shadows of her past.
Lucy’s wellbeing and safety are Lee’s primary concerns, influencing her decisions and fueling her fears. The child’s innocence contrasts with the dark, complicated histories surrounding her family, emphasizing themes of protection, new beginnings, and the tenuous balance between past trauma and the possibility of healing.
Sylvie
Sylvie, the mother of Lee and Mona, is a distant and erratic figure whose role is largely rooted in the traumatic backdrop of their childhood. She is depicted as caught between rebellion and fear, often neglectful and emotionally unavailable, shaped by the oppressive environment of the cult-like community.
Sylvie’s relationship with her daughters is fraught, characterized by neglect and instability. She represents the fractured maternal figure whose absence and emotional unavailability contribute to Lee’s complex feelings about motherhood and family.
Sylvie’s influence and the secrets she harbors underscore the themes of broken families, trauma inheritance, and the difficulty of escaping one’s past.
Christopher
Christopher is a cult-like paternal figure from Lee and Mona’s childhood. He held a position of authority within the secluded community, shaping the children’s upbringing with strict control and ideological rigidity.
His role as a leader introduces a sinister and oppressive dimension to the family’s history. Christopher’s presence looms large over Lee’s memories and contributes to the trauma and mystery surrounding the disappearance of children from the community.
He embodies the dangers of manipulation, control, and the loss of innocence, representing a dark force from which Lee and her family struggled to escape.
Jacqueline
Jacqueline is Theo’s mother, who appears as a gentle but firm presence encouraging Lee to seek help and regain her independence. She represents family support from Theo’s side, contrasting with the tensions Lee experiences from her own biological family.
Jacqueline’s role is that of an outsider who wishes to see Lee heal and thrive, urging a path toward recovery and stability. Her involvement highlights the importance of extended family and community in navigating personal crises.
Andi
Andi is a friend of Lee who provides emotional support and practical help, such as providing security camera footage that becomes crucial evidence in uncovering the truth about Maria’s disappearance. Andi’s loyalty and kindness offer Lee a glimpse of hope and solidarity in a narrative filled with suspicion and betrayal.
She symbolizes friendship, trust, and the possibility of finding allies amidst adversity.
Themes
Motherhood and the Complexities of Maternal Identity
Motherhood in The Ascent is portrayed as a deeply challenging and multifaceted experience that goes far beyond the common idealizations of nurturing and joy. Lee’s exhaustion and anxiety over her infant daughter Lucy’s constant waking and fragile health illuminate the intense vulnerability that new mothers often face.
Her resistance to practical steps like moving Lucy to a separate room or sleep training is not merely about routine but is rooted in a profound fear of losing control and safety. This reflects the overwhelming nature of postpartum mental health struggles, where physical exhaustion intertwines with psychological turmoil.
The narrative captures how motherhood can trigger unresolved past trauma and identity crises. Lee’s sense of self becomes fragile as she tries to reconcile her past experiences, including a fractured family background and cult trauma, with the demands of being a caregiver.
The fear of not being “enough” as a mother manifests in obsessive routines, isolation, and a haunting worry over losing her child. The book sensitively portrays the complexity of maternal love shadowed by fear, anxiety, and the desire to protect, illustrating how motherhood is not just a biological role but a profound emotional journey that reshapes identity and tests resilience.
Trauma and Its Lingering Effects on the Present
Trauma in The Ascent is a powerful force shaping the characters’ lives, especially Lee’s. The mysterious mass disappearance from her childhood cult-like community leaves a dark imprint on her psyche, influencing her present-day behaviors and relationships.
This trauma is not static but continuously reverberates through her mental health struggles, parenting anxieties, and strained family dynamics. The novel examines how childhood trauma often remains unspoken, buried under layers of denial and protective silence, yet it exerts a persistent influence that shapes perceptions of safety, trust, and self-worth.
Lee’s reluctance to fully engage with her past, her guarded interactions with her long-lost sister Mona, and her intense fear of abandonment all point to trauma’s persistent, destabilizing presence. The narrative also highlights how trauma complicates healing: it disrupts the ability to form stable attachments and clouds judgment, while public exposure through the docuseries forces traumatic memories into the open, challenging Lee to confront what she has long tried to suppress.
The portrayal is raw and nuanced, showing trauma’s long shadow without romanticizing recovery, emphasizing the ongoing, uneven nature of coping with past wounds.
The Fragility of Trust and the Impact of Betrayal
Trust in The Ascent emerges as a fragile and contested terrain, particularly within intimate relationships. Lee’s marriage to Theo, which on the surface appears stable, reveals deep fissures under the weight of secrets and deception.
Theo’s affair with Maria, the blackmail, and his eventual admission of killing Maria for self-preservation introduce a devastating betrayal that fractures the family unit’s foundation. Lee’s growing distrust toward Theo intensifies her isolation and paranoia, exacerbated by the skepticism she faces from medical professionals when she tries to expose him.
This theme extends beyond romantic betrayal to familial bonds, with Mona’s sudden return bringing both hope and suspicion. Lee’s ambivalence toward Mona, fueled by incomplete knowledge of her sister’s past and the shadows of their shared trauma, illustrates how betrayal and secrecy complicate family loyalty.
The tension between needing to protect loved ones and guarding oneself from harm underscores how fragile trust can be in the aftermath of trauma and deception. This dynamic drives much of the narrative’s emotional intensity, as Lee struggles to discern truth from manipulation while trying to maintain a safe space for her daughter.
The Struggle for Autonomy and Safety in a Controlling Environment
The tension between autonomy and control plays a significant role throughout The Ascent, particularly in how Lee’s life is shaped by external forces and her own fears. The claustrophobic atmosphere of her marriage and motherhood is intensified by Theo’s controlling tendencies, the medical system’s dismissal of her concerns, and the social pressures surrounding parenting.
Lee’s experience in the psychiatric ward highlights the loss of agency as she is restrained and marginalized, her voice silenced by assumptions about her mental stability. The narrative also draws parallels with Lee’s upbringing in a cult compound, where control was absolute and freedom severely limited, emphasizing how control can be wielded in different forms across her life.
Her attempts to regain autonomy—whether by resisting returning to work, confronting Theo’s deception, or seeking connection with Mona—are fraught with fear and uncertainty. The theme explores the challenge of carving out personal safety and self-determination amid environments that threaten physical, emotional, and psychological security.
The story portrays autonomy as something precarious and hard-won, a constant negotiation between trust, fear, and the need to protect oneself and one’s family.
The Search for Identity Amidst Fragmented History and Memory
Identity in The Ascent is shaped by fractured histories and the weight of memory, especially as Lee navigates her past and present selves. Having grown up as Ophelia in a cult-like community and now living as Lee, a mother and wife in Philadelphia, she embodies the tension between who she was and who she wants to be.
Her fractured family history—marked by disappearance, neglect, and loss—complicates her sense of belonging and self-understanding. This fragmentation is reflected in her struggles to articulate her past, keep secrets from Theo, and reconcile with Mona.
The narrative highlights how identity is not fixed but constructed through memory, trauma, and relationships, often in unstable and shifting ways. Lee’s efforts to maintain routines and build a new life contrast with the invasive presence of her past, suggesting that identity is a continuous negotiation rather than a settled state.
The story reveals how the process of reclaiming identity after trauma involves facing uncomfortable truths, integrating painful memories, and balancing the desire for normalcy with the reality of unresolved history.
The Impact of Social Isolation and the Need for Connection
Isolation is a pervasive theme in The Ascent, with Lee’s postpartum challenges deepening her sense of loneliness and alienation. Her reluctance to engage with other mothers and her withdrawal from social life reflect how isolation can exacerbate mental health struggles.
The narrative illustrates the isolating effects of stigma around postpartum anxiety and trauma, where judgment and misunderstanding limit opportunities for support. Lee’s mistrust of those around her, from medical staff to neighbors and even family members, deepens her isolation, leaving her with few reliable connections.
At the same time, the story reveals the human need for connection, as seen in Lee’s tentative steps toward engaging with Mona, the support group interactions, and Theo’s attempts to help. The theme explores how connection is both a source of comfort and a challenge when trust is fragile, highlighting the delicate balance between self-protection and vulnerability.
The social isolation in the story underlines how community and understanding are crucial for healing but often difficult to access when trauma and mental illness create invisible barriers.