Content Warning: This section of the guide describes physical abuse.

Throughout Death at the Sign of the Rook, author Kate Atkinson explores how personal tragedy shapes identity. By depicting characters haunted by past events, Atkinson delves into the consequences of loss, the persistence of memory, and how individuals carry the weight of their history into the present.

With the characters of Jackson and Reggie, Atkinson explores how loss and grief manifest later in life. The motivations of the protagonist, Jackson Brodie, are defined from an early age by his mother’s death and his sister’s murder. This loss shapes Jackson’s sense of justice and his relentless desire to protect the vulnerable, illustrated in his attempt to rescue Alice Smithson from her abusive marriage. Jackson’s quest to solve others’ mysteries and bring them closure is rooted in the unsolved mystery of his sister’s death and his inability to fully come to terms with his past. The protagonist’s close bond with Reggie Chase is partly founded on their shared experience of grief and loss. Like Jackson, Reggie has “outlasted everyone she was related to” (128), including her parents and brother. Her repressed trauma is illustrated when her panic at being locked in a pantry prompts visions of her mother’s terror when she drowned.