51 pages • 1 hour read
John MarrsWhat Lies Between Us
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Nina Simmonds
Nina Simmonds is one of the novel’s two narrators. She is arguably the novel’s protagonist, though it could also be argued that she and Maggie are dual protagonists. She experiences memory lapses that accompany her fits of rage, making her an unreliable narrator. Passionate, rebellious, and laid back, Nina studies English literature and becomes a librarian, though she is quick to point out that she and her coworkers do not fit the prim and proper stereotype sometimes associated with librarians. Despite her brash exterior, Nina has her fair share of insecurities, the most significant of which centers on her unfulfilled desire to raise a child, her most consistent goal throughout the narrative. She attempts to meet that desire in various ways, whether vicariously at work, through adoption, or by taking advantage of Bobby’s appearance in her life.
Nina experiences dramatic events from her first appearance as a teenager to the novel’s conclusion, but without significantly changing. She consistently tries to control other people and fears abandonment. Throughout her childhood, Nina is particularly close to her father, Alistair. When Alistair announces his intention to leave, a different side of Nina surfaces, and she kills him in a fit of rage, the memory of which she later suppresses. Following Alistair’s death, Nina spends more time away from home, perhaps seeking to fill the void left by his absence. Though she is in a rebellious stage, she continues to trust and rely on her mother during periods of stress, such as labor.
Over the next two decades, Nina becomes increasingly depressed and embittered about how her life has turned out. Her controlling and vindictive behavior escalates. After Bobby appears and it becomes clear that Maggie has been lying to her, Nina takes Maggie captive in her own home. In contrast to her murder of Alistair, where she may have lacked control, Nina is fully conscious of keeping Maggie captive. Meanwhile, her relationship with Bobby disintegrates due to her controlling behavior. It becomes clear that however suited or not she was to parenthood 25 years earlier, Nina is certainly not up to the task in the present.
Nina’s fate is a tragic one: She attempts to force the two people she most cares for—Bobby and Maggie—to fulfill her idea of a happy family, but destroys all three of their lives in the process.
Margaret “Maggie” Simmonds
Nina’s mother Maggie is the novel’s second narrator. Maggie shares many similarities with Nina, including her capacity for bitterness and anger. However, Maggie is more restrained and thoughtful; she only rarely, if ever, loses control of her actions, whatever her emotional state. Maggie is more organized than Nina, and her work as a receptionist at a doctor’s office makes it clear that she is personable as well. Kind and thoughtful, Maggie is close friends with her neighbor Elsie, at least until Nina places her in captivity.
Throughout the novel, Maggie demonstrates a strong sense of concern for the wellbeing of others, particularly children, as when attempting to help the girl across the street. Maggie is also very resilient and methodical. For example, she works for hours on end over multiple days to weaken the material between the floors of her house in the hopes of making herself audible to any visitors. Her diligence relates to her sharp sense of self-awareness and her capacity to reflect: Unlike Nina, Maggie is keenly aware of her own weaknesses.
Maggie’s development as a character centers on her relationship with Nina. From the beginning, Maggie seeks to support and protect Nina, even when Nina kills other people in what Maggie assumes to be uncontrollable fits of rage. Maggie has mixed feelings about some of the actions she takes to protect Nina, which leave her with feelings of guilt. However, she continues to prioritize Nina’s welfare rather than divulge any secrets that could hurt her. Only after Bobby’s apparent death does Maggie finally begin to entertain the possibility of leaving Nina for good, and she seizes the opportunity to burn down the house when Nina is careless with a box of matches.
Dylan “Bobby” Hopkinson
Bobby is Nina’s son. A reporter by trade, he ingratiates himself to Nina on social media before meeting up with her to introduce himself, mistakenly, as her brother. Sensitive and intelligent, Bobby is wise enough to step away from Nina when he realizes that the relationship is not healthy. However, his genuine concern for Nina causes him to return when she threatens to harm herself. His compassion again drives his actions when he sides with Maggie during her argument with Nina. His subsequent injury and ten-month-long stint as a prisoner in Nina’s basement reveal the potential for sincere, well-intentioned people to be dominated by more forceful personalities like Nina’s.
Jon Hunter
Jon is a celebrated local musician who becomes Nina’s first serious boyfriend, at least as she sees it. Jon is a flat character without complexity, and largely adheres to stereotypes associated with the sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll lifestyle. Jon carries on sexual relationships with multiple girls age 14 and younger, while Jon is in his 20s. It’s made clear that this is his deliberate choice: He has “Lolita” tattooed on Nina’s lip, and tells Maggie that “a year or two younger [than Nina] would’ve been just right” (103). Jon also has a fetish for girls in school uniforms, and repeatedly asks Nina to wear hers. Jon’s true feelings toward Nina are indicated in a scene where she cries while contemplating her pregnancy, only to find that Jon, indifferent, has fallen asleep. While Jon’s predatory nature is readily visible to Maggie and readers, Nina’s infatuation with and loyalty to him demonstrate her lack of judgment and maturity, especially as her uncritical infatuation stretches across decades.
