The theme that families are as constructive as they are destructive is central to Anything Is Possible. Family trauma and cycles of violence inform the way that characters view themselves, yet families also provide a support system of shared experience that inspires characters to free themselves from their past trauma.

The Barton siblings grow up poor and in an abusive household. However, this shared experience with family divides them because they each experienced and dealt with their childhoods differently. Their individual experiences—and the implications of them—influence the truth of their family. Vicky is resentful toward her sister Lucy for two reasons. First, Lucy didn’t experience firsthand the same level of abuse that Vicky did. Vicky endured horrific moments in her home, like being forced to eat out of the toilet as punishment and her mother ripping her clothes apart. Lucy, though fully immersed in that world of abuse, was allowed to stay in school after-hours to give her peace and safety away from that abuse. Additionally, Lucy’s extra time spent in school allowed her to focus and get grades that were good enough to help her leave the town for college. She became a successful author, a sophisticated New Yorker who used her past as content for her novels but didn’t return home to comfort her siblings or team up with them to confront their past. Vicky therefore feels abandoned. Pete, because of his nature and the way he dealt with his own trauma, is proud of Lucy. However, Pete and Lucy aren’t close. Lucy left Pete and Vicky behind on her journey to self-discovery and safety. In this way, the destructive family unit inspires Lucy to make her life better for herself, but it also builds boundaries between her and her siblings.

In contrast, Abel Blaine demonstrates how a person can find strength in family. Like the Bartons, Abel grew up poor and abused, but his love for his sister, Dottie, and for himself motivated him to work hard and lift his family out of wretched poverty. Eventually, Abel built a life and had his own family. He places his joy not in his wealth but in his children and grandchildren. For Abel, family is a motivation, an inspiration, and a space for unconditional happiness. Abel doesn’t repeat the cycles of abuse and trauma he learned as a child. His rejection of a destructive family frees him to be the leader of a constructive family that returns his love and devotion. Annie Appleby is another character who represents how someone can acknowledge the complex nature of the family unit without allowing it to be destructive to her psyche. Annie’s family had problems that she tried to ignore for as long as she could. She found creative freedom in her job as an actress, thereby transcending worldly problems and finding a space where she could develop deep empathy for self and others. Therefore, when Annie returns home to help her fractured family, she doesn’t feel anger or resentment. Instead, she feels sympathy for all the members of her family. She acknowledges that families are a group of individuals who each go through their own pains and joys. In confronting her family’s issues without letting them dictate how she sees herself in the world, Annie balances her identity as a daughter and a sister with her identity as an individual.

Strout use the characters’ stories to emphasizes the importance of family. However, to appreciate family, the characters must acknowledge its layers that both help and hurt their progress.