Leaves to escape dysfunction, returns to confront or reconcile. Example: Mary ( The Little Foxes ), Pearl ( The Lost Daughter )

Summarize who might enjoy this title and give it a rating (e.g., 3 out of 5 stars).

Key Conflict: The family must choose between maintaining their comfortable status quo or confronting the reasons the person left. The Unearthed Secret

Blamed for family problems; often the most perceptive member. Example: James ( The Godfather Part II ), Charlie ( The Royal Tenenbaums )

In these complex relationships, the antagonist is often not a living person, but the ghostly cycle of past behavior. A mother who was emotionally neglected by her parents struggles to connect with her own daughter. A father who endured a volatile household accidentally recreates that same anxiety for his sons.