Character Relationship Map: The Falling

Characters

• Lydia Lamont (played by Maisie Williams) — protagonist

  Lydia is a student at an English girls' school and Abbie's best friend, whose intense fixation on Abbie shapes much of the story. After Abbie dies, Lydia develops similar fainting spells and urges the...

• Eileen Lamont (played by Maxine Peake) — protagonist

  Eileen is Lydia's agoraphobic, neglectful mother. She catches Lydia and Kenneth having sex and reveals that Kenneth and Lydia are only half-siblings, and that Lydia was conceived through rape. As Lydi...

• Kenneth Lamont (played by Joe Cole) — supporting

  Kenneth is Lydia's brother and Eileen's son, though Eileen later reveals that he and Lydia are only half-siblings. He has sex with Abbie as she attempts to abort a pregnancy by another boy, and later...

• Abbie Mortimer (played by Florence Pugh) — supporting

  Abbie is Lydia's best friend and classmate, with whom Lydia has an intense fixation. After having sex with Kenneth in an attempt to abort a pregnancy by another boy, Abbie suffers fainting spells and...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Eileen Lamont → Lydia Lamont (Family Mother And Daughter) — Their strained relationship reaches a crisis before they embrace and reconcile.

  Eileen is Lydia's mother; she follows Lydia after Lydia flees and eventually finds her near the school.

• Eileen Lamont → Kenneth Lamont (Family Mother And Son) — Eileen is Kenneth's mother and orders him out after catching him with Lydia.

  The character information identifies Kenneth as Eileen's son.

• Lydia Lamont → Kenneth Lamont (Family Half-Siblings) — They are siblings through their mother, Eileen.

  Eileen reveals that Lydia and Kenneth are only half-siblings.

• Abbie Mortimer → Kenneth Lamont (Romantic Sexual Partners) — Their sexual encounter occurs before Abbie's fainting spells and death.

  Abbie has sex with Kenneth in an attempt to abort her pregnancy by another boy.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Lydia Lamont → Abbie Mortimer (Social Best Friends) — Their close friendship is shaped by Lydia's intense fixation on Abbie.

  The plot identifies Lydia and Abbie as best friends and classmates.

Story Analysis

Lydia's grief after Abbie's death and the revelations within her family lead to a crisis that culminates in a tentative reconciliation with Eileen.

Plot Progression

1. A Friendship Under Strain — Lydia and Abbie are best friends and classmates, while Lydia's fixation on Abbie shapes their closeness. Abbie's pregnancy and encounter with Kenneth precede her detention with Lydia and sudden illnes...
2. The Fainting Epidemic — After Abbie dies and is buried, Lydia begins fainting, and similar brief episodes spread among girls and a young teacher. Lydia presses the school to respond, and a mass episode disrupts an assembly.
3. Expulsion and Family Revelation — Affected students are hospitalised and psychoanalysed, but no cause is found. The school reopens and expels Lydia; that night, Eileen catches Lydia with Kenneth and reveals their shared parentage and...
4. Flight and Reconciliation — Lydia flees, and Eileen follows her outdoors for the first time in over sixteen years, experiencing flashbacks as she searches. She finds Lydia in a tree near the school; after Lydia falls into the la...