Although The Cliffs is mainly told from a third-person point of view, most chapters reflect the perspective of the novel’s protagonist, Jane. A self-proclaimed “book nerd,” Jane works at Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library in the women’s archives. Jane’s profession is a perfect fit for her interests: Since she was a child, she has been interested in the stories behind objects and photographs, particularly in the people that are often left out of official histories.

After Jane is fired from her job at Harvard, she eventually finds a more personally meaningful purpose for her interest in history and stories as the director of a new museum focusing on local women’s history. This new role offers Jane tangible ownership and a part in the women’s lineage of the Lake Grove house as she becomes its custodian under its new auspices as a women’s history museum.

In addition, Jane’s character arc centers on confronting an alcohol use disorder. As the novel begins, Jane is recently separated from her husband, David, and is living in and cleaning out her mother’s house after her death. Returning to her childhood home forces Jane to relive memories of her mother and grandmother and rebuild her relationship with her sister, Holly.