Inheritance

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

In Inheritance, the impact of family legacy permeates the narrative, serving as a foundation for the characters’ struggles, triumphs, and personal growth. Roberts specifically examines how the past shapes the present, exploring the weight of familial expectations, the consequences of unresolved histories, and the possibility of redemption and transformation. This theme is particularly evident in the cursed lineage of the Poole family, and similar parallels exist in Sonya MacTavish’s present-day journey of self-discovery as she confronts the haunted, brooding presence of Lost Bride Manor.

Within this context, the Poole family curse is a literal manifestation of the burdens of family legacy. Hester Dobbs, a vengeful witch from the 19th century, curses the family after her lover, Collin Poole, marries a woman named Astrid. This vengeful curse results in the tragic deaths of seven Poole brides over the course of generations, and Hester’s ongoing cycle of violence suggests that unresolved pain and betrayal from the past can reverberate through time, affecting descendants who had no part in the original events. Thus, the curse forces the Poole descendants to confront their shared history.